Improving multi-platform workflow at Harbour Publishing and Douglas & McIntyre

At Harbour Publishing, the production of multi-platform materials is inefficient. Data is not effectively reused, and a lot of time is spent manually copying and reformatting data. The project described in this report aimed to develop a system that could simplify their workflow, using their promotional catalogues as a starting point. Harbour’s website contains all the same data that goes into their catalogues, and since it also generates their ONIX Record, the project used it as the source. By leveraging several XML formats and some web programming, the project’s prototype successfully automated most of the catalogue production process. Unfortunately, there were too many limitations to make real-world usage possible; however these were not limitations that cannot be overcome given more time and some financial investment, and the project provided an effective proof that automated workflow systems are a worthwhile investment.