Discover how Workfront elevates work management by serving as an Operational System of Record, offering strategic insights beyond typical PM tools.
Krista Beggan
September 30, 2024
A staggering 96 percent of employees are dissatisfied with their work management tools. When diving deeper into why employees are disappointed by these tools, it comes down to these 3 factors: frustration of frequent app switching, inability to access required information, and lack of prioritization in task assignments (Forbes).
As the need for organized work management grows, more teams are starting to adopt Workfront as their Operational System of Record (OSR), described by Adobe as “a single system that can encapsulate the complete ‘DNA of Work’—preserving the context of all tasks, content, and collaboration together, in one place, so that it can be analyzed, reported, optimized, and automated.”
It’s one thing to add an OSR tool to your tech stack, however, configuring the tool to meet your organization’s needs can be complex and requires deep expertise in the tool.
Workfront = Operational System of Record ≠ Project Management Tool
Workfront is a powerful tool with capabilities that far exceed the typical project management tool. However, many organizations initially started using Workfront as a ticketing system without knowing the extent of its capabilities.
So, how can organizations leverage Workfront less as a project management tool and more as their Operational System of Record?
Supercharge Your Workflow: 5 Insights for Workfront Mastery
#1 – Establish Your Work Hierarchy Structure
Above all, a solid foundation is paramount in achieving Workfront success. A key step is organizing your work by setting up Portfolios and Programs. Think about your Portfolios as the drawers of your filing cabinet, and your Programs as the folders within.
Depending on the nature of your business, these objects can be configured in a multitude of ways (ie, by category or product type), allowing for optimal organization and prioritization of team projects.
Proper work hierarchy will provide insights into project cost and ROI, which will help stakeholders make strategic decisions about project planning for the following year.
#2 – Regularly Assess User Structure
As Workfront usage expands within your organization, there is an elevated risk of processes becoming disorganized and oversights may occur. During busy periods, administrative tasks may fall by the wayside.
Users may be given too much or too little access to Workfront Objects, or they may be added to the incorrect Group or Team. This can disrupt workflow, decrease productivity, or result in changes to system settings that negatively impact other users.
This is why it’s key to regularly assess user structure. Start by identifying the different personas on your team and mapping out the corresponding level of access each persona would need.
Next, develop an object-based sharing model, which defines the structure of permissions and share settings of Workfront objects to ensure all users have the access they need.
#3 – Define Metrics for Success
Has your team defined what a successful rollout looks like? If not, it’s crucial to answer questions like what KPIs your team wants to track and what is most important to the organization.
Aligning with stakeholders and leadership to help define the data to be captured will influence your configuration and inform future-state reporting.
Similarly, building operational dashboards for Group or System Administrators is crucial to managing system maintenance. Monitoring system and/or object usage across teams will give the organization a clear view of how Workfront is being utilized.
#4 – Document Team Workflows
When teams lack documentation around their processes, translating these processes into Workfront Project Templates becomes challenging. Mapping out your existing workflows by asset type (email, PDF, flyer, etc.) can help you understand how and where to streamline your processes.
Begin by mapping out your workflow for each project type. Once you do this, you can begin to understand the dependencies and owners of each step in the process, which can much more easily translate to Tasks, Job Role Assignments, Dependencies, and Durations–all components of a Project Template.
While your team may not use Workfront's robust resourcing capabilities right away, taking these steps will ensure you are well-positioned to assess resource capacity in the future.
#5 – Audit and Define Governance
Developing a Governance Model is crucial to ensuring adherence to organizational best practices and the overall health of the system. As Workfront adoption grows, it's important to consistently audit and evaluate users' experience with the tool, as well as establish a process for revising workflows and settings.
Consistent communication is crucial and forming a Governance Board to manage change and incorporate user feedback will benefit your organization. Your governance team will enforce rules and monitor how the tool is evolving, including system updates and feature releases.
Not only does this ensure the tool is being used properly, but also that your team’s knowledge of the tool is evolving and you’re getting the most out of your investment.
Transform Your Workfront Strategy Today
Adopting Workfront as your Operational System of Record can revolutionize your work management, however, ensuring its effective setup and governance is crucial.
*Christine Zhu, Solution Architect and Implementation Consult at MERGE, also contributed to this article
By implementing these strategies, you’ll boost efficiency and fully leverage your Workfront investment. Need help implementing these tactics? Get in touch with our Workfront experts today.
