Step 3. Building translation agency workflow

VIP Task Manager supports a range of processes that connect the employees of the translation agency within its workflow. Such processes as planning, tracking, and reporting are natural and necessary for project management. The managers of the translation agency can apply rules of task and project management to administering the workflow by using VIP Task Manager. The workflow can be divided into tasks, and these tasks can be organized into groups. This makes easer to manage the whole agency and employee performance.

Organizing tasks into groups

To organize tasks into task groups the manager of the translation agency can use Task Tree View. This view allows to build structure of the translation agency tasks. The structure may have the following view:

• Customer 1
• Project 1
• Project 2
• …
• Customer 2
• Project 3
• …

Creating task list Once a new project is launched, the project manager specifies the tasks. For example, the task list for the project “Website translation” may have the following view:

1. Getting the customer requirements
2. Creating purchase order
3. Translate the website content
4. Write new articles
5. Deliver the translated files to the customer
6. Collaborating online and resolving potential issues
7. Creating an invoice for the PO
8. Tracking the invoice
9. Confirming the payment reception
10. Build the project report

Each of the tasks is assigned to a resource or a group of resource. For example, the task “2.Creating purchase order” is assigned to the project manager as only this person is authorized to create purchase orders. The task “3.Translate the website content” may be performed by a group of translators. If there are a lot of resources involved in the project, the project manager can assign additional supervisors.

Using task templates Task templates help quickly launch new projects and create new purchase orders. In the root folder there can be created the task group “Templates” which will contain the tasks for regular projects. For the translation agency there can be added such task groups as “Software localization”, “Copywriting”, “Voice-overs”, “Document translation”, “Interpreting”, and others. Each of the templates will include typical tasks needed to complete a project. When a new project is being launched, the project manager can just duplicate the tasks in the folder “Template” and insert them into the task group of the project.

Setting task workflow statuses VIP Task Manager allows to create custom workflow and add new task statuses. The default workflow has six task statuses: Draft, Created, In Progress, Completed, Cancelled and Verified. Besides the default workflow, the managers of the translation agency can use own workflow types depending on a particular project requirements. For the translation agency usually there might be created about five or six different types of workflow like “Copywriting workflow”, “Voice-overs workflow”, “Interpreting workflow” and other. Each project task group can be assigned to specific workflow so all tasks within the task group will have only statuses of this workflow.

1. Step 1. Choosing translation agency software
2. Step 2. Organizing translation agency staff
3. >> Step 3. Building translation agency workflow
4. Step 4. Translation agency task customization
5. Step 5. Task planning in the translation agency solution
6. Step 6. Sharing translation agency tasks
7. Step 7. Documenting translation agency tasks
8. Step 8. Tracking translation agency tasks
9. Step 9. Reporting tasks in translation agency solution
10. Step 10. Managing KPI in translation agency solution