evolution of workflow tools. john pettigrew. sfep conference 13-15 september 2014
DESCRIPTION
Back in the dawn of time, paper ruled and editors were strong and free. But the emergence of computers changed all that, and confusion reigned. Some parts of our workflow are completely different and others are barely touched. Even the products we work on don't always resemble what we think of as 'books' or 'journals'. In this slide deck, we think about some of the tectonic shifts that editors have been through, and use these to assess what's happening at the moment, and where we might end up. We'll look at the emergence of on-screen editing in the 1990s and the demise of the galley proof, the development of XML-first and content-first workflows, and some of the new opportunities for improving how we work.TRANSCRIPT
SfEP Annual Conference 2014
Evolution of workflow tools:stasis and change
John Pettigrew (CEO and Founder, Cambridge Publishing Solutions)
Workflows of the past two decades
Workflows of the past two decades
Workflows of the past two decades
Other tools
• CMSes
• XML
• Online collaboration
• Writing and development
• Communication
• Sharing
What is better now?
• Focus on core skills
• Automation of repetitive tasks
• Fewer barriers imposed by old technology
• Workflow speed
• Communication speed
What is worse now?
• Focus on ‘digital’ skills and de-emphasising editorial skills
• De-skilling of in-house teams
• Abuse of tools that aren’t ‘fit for purpose’
What is missing now?
• Clear vision of the importance of content
✤ (and hence editors)
• Tools designed for the work we actually do
• Complete workflows
Where are we going?
• Digital-first content
• Destination-agnostic content
• Static and interactive content
• Raised expectations
• Google Docs
• Twitter, LinkedIn
• Medium
Where are we going?
✤ Iterative development and continuous deployment
✤ Post-publication editing
• Commercial-model change
• open access
• self-publishing
• free content
Where are we going?
• Industry change
• mergers and acquisitions
• new entrants
• increased outsourcing
• de-skilling
• learning
The end of publishing
Again... ?
John Pettigrew www.wearefutureproofs.comImages © ducu95us / Shutterstock, MorphArt / Shutterstock, panco / Shutterstock,
Heath Robinson, ducu95us / Shutterstock, randall30 / Shutterstock