Workflow and Processes – Page 4

August 24, 2022February 3, 2023

3 simple automations to make your process easier

Photo by Twona
Image depicts a tree-shaped process, showing how when a project is created in Twona AMS, certain actions can be automated like snd a slack message, add a google calendar event or update some KPIs in google Studio. — *Photo by Twona*

Having an effective process is a major goal of most organizations. We know to reach that goal, you use other systems that support or extend your design management processes. And that is fine! Twona AMS ticks many boxes towards achieving effectiveness, and if you implement some of these tips you may be able to reach that goal even faster.

Transferring data within the system or across systems without having to manually do so – sounds good, does it not?

1. Automatic version status update when project stages changes

Imagine that your team has reviewed a document version and has added comments to it. This actually means that the version reviewed is rejected, and a new one will need to be created. You can decide to manually mark it as such before you move the project to the team responsible for the needed changes, or better yet you can build a rule in Twona AMS that will do this for you.

Here is an example of a similar rule.

You may need to adjust this to your internal naming, and you may have a specific use case for a different action. If you need some help to build this, just make sure to contact us!

2. Create a Trello/Monday/Asana card/task when a project reaches a specific milestone

Does your company use some of these popular project management systems ? Then it may be clever to automate the creation of a card when a design is completed and ready to launch so that marketing can start creating their campaigns, or so that the design team can receive the feedback on the design and create a new version (if we want to follow the previous example).

Using the power of Zapier, we are able to integrate Twona AMS with these tools and connect two worlds with just a few clicks.

You can use the predefined workflow for Trello (or other tool you use), or create your own.

3. Notify users when a project reaches a specific status

Some users may need to be alerted when a project is ready for them to take action, such as creating a design based on the briefing, reviewing and approving, or collecting extra information.

If the user does not keep Twona AMS open at all times, you may want to create a notification to inform them that there is an action for them to complete. Notify your users where THEY are most likely to see it. You can choose to do it to a Slack channel, a Google Chat (Room) and/or a good old email.

These are just a few ideas of how you can automate your process and become more efficient. If you have any other ideas, or suggestions, make sure to share those with me!

August 10, 2022February 3, 2023

My experience in managing Packaging Artworks

Photo by Felipe Furtado - table with postit notes and markers. Experience briefing and process steps — *Photo by Felipe Furtado*

I have been working over 15 years in the packaging industry, particularly all related to Regulatory affairs.

In all this time, despite the regulatory changes that have influenced formats, texts, graphics … variations, the day to day process of Artwork creation for packaging materials has remained quite stable.

What has changed, and exponentially, are the tools that help us manage the creation and review of Artworks, both on the process side, and on the quality side.

If you have been around in this industry for a while, you probably remember a lot more paper. Paper to start an Artwork, paper to manage the changes, paper to check that the reviews were made, and paper to add it to the archive.

How much paper do you have right now on your table?

You probably have things stored on the intranet, or maybe even on the cloud. This means that it does not matter where you are, or where you are, you are able to check or execute any work you need remotely. Think about how some companies have suffered when they were not able to function normally without being physically in the office.

Nowadays, most seem to have this storing function under control. But this is just a part. In order to have a final document to store (wherever it is) , you need a process of information collection, design creation, review, approvals, checks and changes and version control, until you end up with the final material.

How do YOU manage all this process?

Many handle it via email, mixing external tools to share large files because their email capacity is limited. Possibly, you also use a spreadsheet to track open processes, but without any traceability or automatic control of “where” each Artwork is at each moment.

That was me also around 2005.

And this is how Twona AMS was born, our Artwork Management System. It was developed around the same needs that your team may have. We did not want to “suffer” more, and we knew there were better ways to manage all those processes within a single tool.

One of the biggest advantages of using Twona, to my own view, has always been the increase in visibility. Visibility of all the projects we were handling; but also, of all the information related to a new design/change, all in one single place.

Thanks to this, we are able to manage priorities with agility, distribute work in a more balanced manner, and we avoid generating bottle necks when a colleague is out of the office. This has all resulted in faster turnaround of Artworks.

Additionally, we can send a request for review directly from the tool, internally and externally, and see all comments, messages or additional documents all in one single screen. This helps tremendously with the editing process and with reducing the number of iterations needed before we can consider an Artwork as ready for print.

We, as well as our clients, also use some quality tools to review Artworks – these are embedded in Twona and accessible with just a click. But I will talk more about this in another moment, not to take much of your time.

If my post has triggered your curiosity and want to know how an Artwork Management System in the cloud works, or think that there may be some processes susceptible of improvement within your team, access this link to get more info or ask for a demo.

July 22, 2022January 24, 2023

Add (this) AMS to your life

Are you involved in Artwork Packaging Design?

If you’re reading this you and your team probably manage thousands of artworks a year: from packaging, to labels, to digital assets, you name it. Between emails, phone calls, reminders, artworks with change requests, new design specifications, and last minute jobs, there’s no doubt you have a busy work day.

If all the above makes you feel stressed it could be because you have not found the right system to help you with all of your workload … YET.

With that in mind I would like you to take a look at Twona AMS, a highly customizable Artwork Management System which is simple and easy to use, and can be integrated with other tools to automate your workflow, all without you having to be a coding expert.

With Twona AMS you will find a one stop shop for your design process, from beginning to end. So what can you expect from Twona AMS?

Twona AMS can provide you with…

Tailored workflows
A complete overview of you and your team’s workload
The ability to allocate time and resources accordingly
A way to oversee the complete process of a project from one single location
A tool to collaborate with your team, add messages, and leave notes
Quality assurance tools, such as graphic and content comparison directly from your job request
A way to share documents and get artwork approvals internally or from external parties
The ability to keep version control and history of all your files
Automation of tasks that can be repetitive
Integration with other applications already used in your organization to avoid duplication of activities

If this sounds lovely, you don’t need to wait any longer to regain control of your workflow and increase your efficiency.

Checking our website is free, and getting yourself a license is too!

You can start today with no obligation.

January 15, 2022June 23, 2023

The importance of a Digital Workflow

Photo by Kanhaiya Sharma on Unsplash

Photo of a white staircase, meaning steps, workflow. — *Photo by Kanhaiya Sharma*

Leveraging digital tools on the workplace might seem a topic of 1980, but believe or not, a significant portion of professional packaging related companies still manage their process manually (think emails or even paper trails).

Let me point out some of the fundamental key points on the importance of a proper digital workflow for managing the design of packaging materials for pharmaceutical products:

A proper digital workflow allows for efficient collaboration and communication among the design team, production team, and stakeholders.
It also helps to ensure that the final product meets regulatory requirements and guidelines, as well as brand standards.
Utilizing digital tools, such as design software and project management platforms, can greatly improve the accuracy and speed of the design process.
The use of digital mockups and automated proofing can also aid in the identification of potential issues before going into production, saving both time and costs.

One thing that can be helpful is to use a digital asset management platform to keep all design files, including images, text, and vector graphics, in one central location. This makes it easy for team members to find what they need and for the team to collaborate on the same version of the design.

On a side note, “Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance”

So, as a quick summary: proper digital workflow is essential for managing the design of packaging materials for pharmaceutical products. It allows for efficient collaboration, ensures regulatory compliance, and helps to minimize errors and costs.

If you’re looking to improve your packaging design process, we invite you to contact the team at twonas.com and we’d be more than happy to help you out.