Craftsy Drives Project Success and Doubles Weekly Production of Online Learning Videos With Workfront

SILICON SLOPES, Utah, Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Workfront, the leading provider of cloud-based Enterprise Work Management solutions, has enabled Craftsy, the premier online destination for passionate makers to learn, create and share, to improve team communications, drive process efficiency and achieve greater project success. One of Craftsy's revenue streams is tied to online training videos showing its customers how to execute different crafts. After implementing Workfront, Craftsy doubled its rate of video production and eliminated a weekly status meeting involving as many as 12 staff members. The firm can now complete up to 10 educational video shoots per week, doubling its pre-Workfront production rate.

In 2011, Craftsy had a staff of 20 people and could deliver one to five online video classes per week. Rapid growth however led to production team challenges: manual processes made it difficult to track and manage the tasks needed for completing projects on time and on budget. Craftsy evaluated several tools, such as Teamwork PM and Basecamp, before selecting Workfront in part thanks to its ease of use.

Lost information and spotty reporting

Craftsy used spreadsheets, Google applications, email and weekly one-hour status meetings to track video shoots and pre- and post-production activities prior to adopting Workfront. But as the firm's educational craft website grew, these disconnected tools became inefficient and cumbersome.

"Information was getting lost in emails and it was becoming more difficult to know the status of what was happening," said Maggie Hart, production supervisor at Craftsy. "Reporting was also a challenge. Because knowledge was in people's heads and reporting was spotty, it was difficult for the production team to make data-driven decisions. We needed a better way to communicate and report."

With the Workfront solution, employees use custom dashboards and calendars to schedule shoots and assign production tasks. They can easily update project statuses and can add comments in real time to alert office staff if details change. Employee time tracking is simpler, both on PCs and mobile devices. Since implementation, the Craftsy production team can use actual hours, rather than planned estimates, to fine-tune filming schedules. Detailed course descriptions, a necessary element for project completion, are stored in Google docs and were once disconnected from other project details. Now these course briefs are integrated into projects via an authorized link.

"Everything we need to know is in the project now, so details aren't lost in email," explained Hart. "We can track issues within projects which helps us to recognize patterns more quickly and make the changes necessary to keep moving forward. With Workfront, we definitely resolve issues faster."

Project accountability and insights

"Workfront provides us with an official system where we have numbers in front of us to support what projects are on track and what projects we are going to miss. That creates accountability and delivers the insight we need to hit our deadlines," said Hart.

Additional Resources

• Learn more about the Workfront Enterprise Work Cloud
• Read the Craftsy study

About Workfront

Workfront is a cloud-based Enterprise Work Management solution that helps marketing, IT, and other enterprise teams conquer the chaos of excessive email, redundant status meetings, and disconnected tools. Unlike other tools, Workfront Enterprise Work Cloud is a centralized, easy-to-adopt solution for managing and collaborating on all types of work through the entire work lifecycle, which improves team productivity and executive visibility. Workfront is trusted by thousands of global enterprises, like Cars.com, Cisco Systems, Comcast, iProspect, Schneider Electric and Trek. To learn more, visit www.workfront.com or follow us on Twitter @Workfront_Inc.

About Craftsy

Craftsy is the preeminent online destination for passionate makers to learn, create and share. With online classes, popular supplies and indie patterns, over nine million creative enthusiasts are taking their skills to new heights. Craftsy's online classes in quilting, sewing, knitting, cake decorating, drawing, painting, cooking, photography and many more categories combine top-quality content, anytime convenience and the intimacy of an in-person experience with the world's best instructors. Members of the Craftsy community – whether neighbors or makers across the world – inspire and support each other with ideas, tips and positive feedback along the way. For more information, visit www.craftsy.com.

Contact: Shelbi Gomez
[email protected]
801-477-9813

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SOURCE Workfront

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