Spark!™ makes it simple for reviewers to quickly comment, annotate, and approve their documents and proofs without having to leave their web browser, install additional applications, or switch contexts. This new add-on to the Approval Manager module of Workgroups 2010 becomes part of the approval workflow for all reviewers and requires no installation and no training for users.
*PDFs rendered using technology licensed from Foxit.
Collaborative Proof Management
Features in Approval Manager 2010 Standalone Edition
My Home Page Customization NEW
Build an interface that fits like a glove by substituting the standard content of home pages with the results of custom queries or saved finds.
iPhone 3GS NEW
Need to get things done while on the go? With the release of Apple's third generation iPhone, Workgroups 2010 continues its tradition of iPhone support. Review and approve proofs, use powerful time recorders, start and close jobs and more to stay productive even when you're away from your desk.
Private Comments and Review Discussions NEW
Keep document proof reviews private between reviewers. Imagine you're laying out a catalogue page with several ads from different vendors on it. Each vendor needs to review the page and their ad simultaneously, but you don’t want to send and manage separate proofs for each vendor. At the same time, you can't let the vendors see each other's comments and annotations. No problem. This is exactly what the new private review feature accomplishes. It’s simple and seamless to the reviewers, and review management is dramatically simplified for you.
Notification Filtering NEW
The Approval Manager module for Workgroups 2010 generates notifications automatically. In fact, it even consolidates emails wherever possible. For example, when multiple proofs are assigned to the same reviewer, the system sends only one email listing them all. An additional filtering option is also available to tailor exactly what notifications are sent. Not every organization is the same, and some are more interested in certain types of notifications than others. With Workgroups 2010, this is a matter of simple configuration.
Proof Auto-Routing NEW
A new auto-routing feature reduces review turnaround time by moving proofs through the review process based on the outcome of previous rounds. Use simple rules to define the auto-routing for workflows and have a dramatic impact on overall management time, speed, and proof turnaround time.
Visual Workflow Designer
Proofing and review workflows are designed visually, providing review managers with an easy and intuitive way to create workflows complete with stages, due dates, times, and assigned reviewers. Once a workflow is designed, it can be used for the current review, or saved for future use as a workflow template.
Document Versions and Histories
Since all versions of a document (and the corresponding reviews, comments, and annotations) are centrally stored and easily accessible, one-click comparisons between versions are possible. Additionally, this centralized repository puts an end to the otherwise hopeless attempts to piece together the "whole story" about an approval process from multiple file versions, emails, and notes.
Audit History on Proof Activity
Every comment, annotation, action, and email generated by the system is stored in the database, providing a complete and accurate audit trail of the entire proofing process. This audit trail offers crucial details for quality assurance, billing, or historical purposes. Now when a customer wants to know about the schedule or has questions about an alteration, you'll instantly have the information and supporting details you need at your disposal.
Trafficking and Scheduling
Document review and approval processes are trafficked and scheduled using visual, easy to use, and efficient dashboards that provide managers with the ability to see at a glance the current status of all documents under review and conveniently drill down into the details of the processes they are interested in. Delays are immediately identified, and quickly addressed by schedule changes, reassigning reviewers, or other means.
Branded Web Portal
The Approval Manager module of Workgroups 2010 includes a separate web portal designed to be accessed by collaborators outside your workgroup. The portal may be fully branded with your unique look and feel without requiring any programming. With the web portal, your external reviewers are safely and securely included into your document and proof reviews.
Collaborative Users
Collaborative Reviewers are external users who access the system through a branded web portal and have access only to information directly related to the proofs they are assigned to. This allows managers to freely assign collaborative reviewers to approval processes without worry that they will expose information about other work, customers, or other business information contained in the system.
Account management for collaborative reviewers is simplified by providing easy tools to create new accounts, activate or deactivate existing accounts, and assign rules for automatically deactivating accounts based on dates or active reviews.
Proof Management Dashboard
Dashboard worklists for managers and producers provide an easy-to-understand view of the current status and schedule of all proofs and documents under review. Since proofs are centrally trafficked and scheduled, you have the ability to see when proofs are in jeopardy of missing a deadline or predicting when a proof will be completed. This allows you to accurately predict when work will be ready for production and ready to deliver to your customers.
Proof Review Dashboard
Each reviewer in the system has an individual dashboard worklist from which to work. This worklist presents a prioritized list of all documents s/he is responsible for reviewing and provides a one-click means for conducting their reviews.
Online and Offline Approval Processes
Support for both hard and soft (digital) proofing and document review processes is built right in. As with soft proofs, hard copy proofs can be trafficked and scheduled in the system. Once a reviewer receives the hard copy proof, they can make comments and annotations online and apply a review status within the system. The system provides the same level of efficiency, collaboration, workflow management, and visibility for both hard and soft copy proofs and document reviews. Regardless of the type of proof you use, the Approval Manager module for Workgroups 2010 will reduce the complexity and decrease the time it takes to get a proof back into production.
Document Review and Approval Workflow Templates
Once you define a workflow in the Approval Manager module, you can easily save it for future reuse. This allows you to quickly implement your proofing and review workflows for new projects.
Adobe Acrobat Support
Adobe Acrobat excels in its ease of use and commercial acceptance for document and proof viewing, review, and annotation. Adobe Acrobat Pro and Standard editions are seamlessly supported in the Approval Manager module, providing transparent uploading and distribution of document annotations amongst reviewers. Adobe Reader may alternately be used for viewing and annotating proof files. The Approval Manager module supports file upload of annotations created from Adobe Reader.
Dalim DiALOGUE Proofer Support NEW
Dalim Dialogue is now supported as an optional proofer in the Approval Manager module of Workgroups 2010. Dialogue is a color accurate proofing system that is seamlessly integrated into the module's review process. For customers looking for color accurate hi-resolution proofing where PDFs just aren’t good enough, Dialogue integrated with the Approval Manager module’s advanced workflow system is the perfect choice.
Native Proofing Applications Support
Specify any native application as a proofing application and use it for your document reviews. At a minimum, native proofing applications must be able to open a proof file type for viewing. In many cases these native applications also support application-specific annotations and commenting. In either case, users can comment on the document using the Approval Manager module's built in commenting feature, or they can use the native application’s commenting and annotation features and then simply upload those changes back to the system for other users to see as part of their reviews.
Email Notifications and Reminders
Automated event-based email notifications and reminders speed the approval process and keep everyone informed and up to date. Notifications are sent when a variety of events occur, including when proof files are moved into a new stage, reviews are canceled, a reviewer has posted a review or comment, and more. Daily reminders reflect the current state of a reviewer's review list and includes explicit indicators for past due proof files.
Multi-Stage/Multi-Round Proof Approval Cycles
Because not all documents make it through a review and approval workflow without rejections or rework, the Approval Manager module for Workgroups 2010 provides the means to easily accommodate multiple rounds of reviews for the same approval process. Control is granular, allowing managers to easily determine whether a revised document should be reviewed by all users, only reviewers in certain stages, or only by those reviewers who previously rejected it.
Cloud Hosted NEW
Approval Manager 2010 is now available for installation on site or as a new hosted subscription service through Workgroups.com. Hosted services are quick to implement: no server software, setup or hardware is required to get up and running. For customers interested in working from the cloud and reducing their IT overhead, subscriptions start as low as $39 per user, per month (plus server fees).
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Centralized Commenting and Annotation
Reviewers see comments and annotations applied by others at each stage of an approval process, greatly increasing collaboration and facilitating communication among participants. This centralized repository puts an end to the headache of trying to piece together the "whole story" about how a document was reviewed by various users in multiple stages and rounds