2005 Computerworld Honors Program

	Roundhouse Ad Tracking System Managing Editor, Inc. (MEI) Jenkintown, PA USA Year: 2000 Status: Laureate Category: Business & Related Services Nominating Company: Adobe Systems Incorporated
	A central workflow management system smooths the flow of newspaper ads through the graphics department and into the newspaper, reducing errors and frustration and increasing efficiency.
	Managing EditorÍs (MEI) Roundhouse ad tracking system is a digital workflow and asset management solution used by newspaper production departments to automate and manage the process of creating ads. Building an ad usually involves a composite file, generated by a desktop publishing application, plus all the various digital components that comprise the ad. These parts„usually logos, graphics, photos, and blocks of text„have to be created, edited, and stored, then incorporated into the ad layout file and prepared for page positioning and printing. A typical daily newspaper runs hundreds of ads per issue every day, and more than 90% of these ads are created within the ad department. Because of the incredibly competitive and deadline-driven newspaper environment, ad production requires very quick turnarounds, and keeping track of each job and its completion status is a difficult challenge that often results in many costly mistakes. It is not unusual for ad parts to be lost, ads to be incomplete at deadline, wrong ads to be run, wrong ad versions to be used, and multiple people to be working on the same ad without realizing it. These mistakes translate into employee frustration, lost time, lost productivity, and, most significantly, lost revenue by the publisher due to customer dissatisfaction. In fact, it is commonplace for a newspaper to absorb $15,000 - $25,000 worth of production-related errors per month. MEIÍs ad tracking solution is a modular, client/server system that combines an intuitive database interface with the standard, off-the-shelf desktop software applications that are already used in the existing production environment. By incorporating key enabling technologies, Roundhouse provides a workflow management solution that presents relevant ad information based on the particular function of the operator. Roundhouse manages ad deadlines, tracks all digital files, provides revision controls, and provides process automation for otherwise time-consuming, error-prone, manual activities, resulting in a virtual elimination of production-related errors.
	The effects and benefits of Managing EditorÍs ad tracking system are dramatic and affect multiple levels in an organization. Ad compositors can immediately access job assignments and deadline information, with the ability to "check out" ad components without a time-consuming search. Ad production managers are better able to control and manage the entire process and make proactive decisions, because they have easy access to information about all ads in the system and because Roundhouse can warn the manager of impending problems even before they occur. Most notably is the direct impact to operational efficiency and the bottom line. The beauty of Roundhouse is that it can fit easily within a publicationÍs existing workflow or can be used to redefine the workflow to achieve far greater levels of efficiency. Previously manual, time-consuming tasks are automated and easier to accomplish, and high levels of control are introduced to eliminate production-related errors. Publishers feel secure with safeguards in place to protect valuable advertising assets. Equally important, this product introduced the first affordable ad tracking system that combined best-of-breed tools in a unique client/server structure. In much the same way that Henry Ford streamlined auto manufacturing, making automobiles accessible to the entire population, Roundhouse became the blueprint for standardized ad tracking procedures and made a high-quality ad tracking system available to publications of all sizes and circulations.
	Critical to MEIês ad tracking solution has been the integration of disparate information, systems, and processes, both digital and manual, that were held across multiple platforms and methodologies, and galvanizing it for the production user. Users not only can leverage tools to automate their workflow, but are now empowered to make decisions in the workflow with information they never possessed. We didnêt just replace a manual system with an electronic one; we created a new structured methodology such that individual tasks are no longer performed in isolation of other tasks. The structure informs each individual task within the workflow. With the introduction of Roundhouse, workflow bottlenecks and misplaced ads were virtually eradicated, saving publications thousands of dollars. In addition, Roundhouse will ultimately be valuable to other creative organizations for tracking and managing a variety of deliverables, from print products, to Internet products, to audio and video projects.
	Enabling technologies incorporated into the system that allow real-time analysis are a key strength of Roundhouse. As a result, real-time adjustments to the production process can be made as circumstances change. These technologies include intuitive, drag-and-drop interfaces; asset previewing; asset tracking; complete integration of existing production tools; process automation, and a best-of-breed deadline management technology whereby due dates are derived from the duration and dependency of the production steps required for each ad. Roundhouse is the most affordable, most aggressively developed, most scalable solution for ad production. It can manage workflow for both the smallest and largest of departments, providing deadline management as well as real-time knowledge of production statuses. Probably the most exceptional aspect of the system is that it can produce a complete return on investment for an organization in less than six months. The system evolved from being a new component to an existing product to its current state as a full-scale, full-featured client/server system. Roundhouse was in development for two years before its first installation, because the market landscape changed dramatically, demanding additional capabilities that were not part of the original plan. Consequently, this resulted in a more robust product.
	When entering the market, we set realistic expectations for the adoption of Roundhouse. The use of an automated ad tracking system basically equated to a paradigm shift in the mindset of many publications. Roundhouse was created in direct response to one of the most critical problems in the publishing industry „ the vast amount of wasted time, resources and money related to the ad production process. Because of the complexity of this process, workflow bottlenecks had become endemic to newspaper production. As a result, there was an expected percentage of lost revenue from ineffective ad production and workflow bottlenecks. Because an automated ad tracking system was such a radically new idea, we realized that initial market adoption may be slow, but would escalate once the incredible return on investment of the Roundhouse system was demonstrated by a core group of early adopters. This has, in fact, proven to be the case: the system becomes mission-critical after it is installed. One of our first customers saved $26,000 in production errors during the first month after installation. One customer stated, "Roundhouse has really pulled our prepress department together. Ad services, production services, color separation, and plate burning all can see the same information at the same time. With Roundhouse we track down ads quicker and get ads back in faster, which makes it much easier to meet our deadlines." The escalating market acceptance was as much a testament to the manner in which Roundhouse has standardized ad tracking processes and procedures, as it is to the fact that the software is continually evolving in response to customer needs. As previously noted, the softwareÍs underlying technology can be generalized to other endeavors, and we plan to broaden the scope of its usage beyond print publishing to incorporate Internet-based publishers, label and packaging industries, ad agencies, and corporate creative groups.
	The advantages of creating a first-class solution that would solve one of the most critical problems confronting the publishing industry far outweighed the technical challenges of building such a solution. Communication and connectivity issues are inherent in the creation of any system that incorporates best-of-breed technologies from multiple vendors in a client/server architecture. Building the unique Roundhouse architecture required a vast amount of detailed, highly technical resources. Our largest obstacles turned out to be inexperience with client/server technology, and the scope and complexity of the testing quality assurance processes that are required for such systems. We had to redefine and restructure our organization to accommodate the development. The result of this is that we see the benefits of this model for other application development in the company. But we knew once the system was complete, it would have a revolutionary impact on the market and would be seen as incredibly empowering to end-users.