Production Tracking Overview

Production tracking is used to manage tasks performed on submissions during the production process and to plan publication schedules. Tasks can be configured to be performed by users with Editor and Publisher roles as well as by the submission's Corresponding Author.

Role permissions and task handling

RoleManager permissions control who can view production tracking information. Editor and Publisher role permissions also control who can take actions related to production. Editor roles are normally used for main production staff. At least one Editor role must be configured with permission to initiate production manually; this is performed from the Editor Main Menu. Publisher roles have a narrower selection of permissions than Editor roles and are usually assigned to users who have a more limited interaction with the system, such as third-party service providers who will receive task assignments through ProduXion Manager.

Production tasks

Production tasks can be used to track any activity that is performed during the production process, such as copyediting, composition, or proofreading. Tasks can also be configured to send files or notifications or to mark milestones in the production process. Tasks are assigned (i.e., recipients are not invited to handle the task). Completion of a task can trigger the assignment of a following task or trigger the end of production. Tasks may be configured for automatic assignment, based on triggers in the workflow, or for manual assignment. Task configuration and role permissions govern which users may be assigned to a task and which users may manually assign a task. For manually assigned tasks, the assignor may select files to send to the task recipient. For automatically assigned tasks, the task can be configured to select files for the task recipient. Assignment files can be sent via SFTP out of and back into the system; the recipient is not required to log into the system to download or upload files.

Submission workflows for production

A submission workflow is a subset of a publication's defined production tasks. Workflows are a useful way to organize tasks, because not all production tasks may be needed for all types of submissions. Workflows are associated with Article Types. This means that only the tasks in the associated workflow are available for assignment for submissions of a particular Article Type.

Production task reminder reports

Production task reminder reports provide users with information about the status of tasks. Reports can be used to send reminder letters to task assignees. Automated task reminder reports may be configured to run nightly and send letters automatically.

Schedule groups

A schedule group is a collection of submissions to be published together (journal issue, conference proceedings, book, etc.). Editor and Publisher roles can be granted permissions to manage schedule groups. Schedule group production tasks can be configured for work that applies to all submissions in a schedule group. For details, see Manage Schedule Groups.

To Configure:

Contact your Aries account representative to enable production tracking functionality.

Core steps for configuring submission production tracking:

  1. Configure roles.
    1. Create relevant Editor and Publisher roles in RoleManager. Add new roles as needed for production staff and external suppliers or freelancers. See Production Permissions for Editor Activities (RoleManager) and Production Permissions for Publisher Role Activities (RoleManager).
    2. Grant production-related permissions to Author role. See Production Permissions for Author Activities (RoleManager).
  2. Configure submission production tasks. See Configure Submission Production Tasks or Editorial Tasks.
  3. Define submission workflows and associate them with Article Types. See Define Submission Workflows for Tasks.
  4. If appropriate, create custom Production Details Page layouts for roles. See Configure Details Page.
  5. Select the submission identifiers to be displayed on production tracking pages. See Define Identifiers to Display.
  6. Define companion file policies. See File Management in Production.
  7. Create letters for each production task. See Configure Letters for Tasks.
  8. Create letters and grant permissions for task reminder reports. See Configure Production Task Reporting.

For additional configuration articles, see the main ProduXion Manager page.

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