Much of the work we do with association, book and magazine publishers involves structuring workflows to best meet current and emerging (cross-platform) expectations.
I define workflow as the intersection of process (how things get done), technology (not just systems, but any tools used to create, manage and disseminate content) and organization (structure; the roles people play and the tools they use).
In revising content workflows, it is seldom the case that a publisher can change things in one area (install a new CMS, for example) and not affect the other two components. Sometimes the impact is small; other times it takes a big change in an organization or process to take full advantage of a new tool.
Conceptually, I think of it as a set of three gears. The relative size of each of the gears varies somewhat, but there is an interdependence that (if not addressed) hamstrings a change or an implementation.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some of the questions I ask publishers in helping them understand both where they are and where they need to be.
