2. Setting up tasks, costs and statuses

This article will cover how to:

1. Add tasks to your Editorial module
2. Add costs to your Editorial module
3. Add statuses to your Editorial module 

This article will assume that you have logged into the module for the first time, and the following are the basic steps you must take before you can start using it daily. 

The first thing we will be taking you through is how to add your editorial tasks and costs to the system. This is an essential part of configuring your Editorial module, as without it you will not be able to use our scheduling functions, track tasks on the Editorial Checklist and Editorial Completion tabs, or input predicted costs for your P&L. 

We will also cover how to configure your Editorial statuses. This feature will allow you to get a quick overview of where each of your projects are within the Editorial process and is necessary to setup if you would like to use our Workflow function.

Adding Tasks 

First, you will need to add your Editorial tasks, which will allow you to use the various scheduling and checklist functions within the module. 

Open the "Editorial Admin" menu from within your Editorial module. Then, select "Editorial Tasks". You will then be shown the screen below, which will be blank if you have not yet added any tasks. 

Select the blue "Create New" button, as circled above, and you will be taken to this screen: 

Insert the name of your task into the "Task" field, eg. "proofreading". 

You can toggle which module the task appears in. In the image above, we have the "Editorial" module toggled. 

The following checkboxes determine which of Stison's many reports this task can be pulled into: 

In Schedule?: allows your task to be selected within the Completion Schedule. 

In Active List?: allows your task to be selected as an "Active Task"

Contract?: task can be used for the "Contract Sent" report found in Reports --> Our Reports.

Manuscript?: If your task signifies when a manuscript is due, please select this box. This is used for the 'Manuscripts Due' report in 'Our Reports'.

Final Manuscript?: If your task signifies that the final manuscript has been received, please select this box.

Sample Chapters?: If your task signifies that sample chapters have been received, please select this box.

Date in Checklist? Checking this box will make this task appear as a date, rather than a checkbox, within the Editorial Checklist report.

Select "Create" when you are ready to save your task. 

Adding Costs

You will also need to add information about your Editorial costs into the module. This will allow you to build out a profit and loss report that will help you ascertain whether the project is viable. 

The process of adding Costs is similar to Tasks, though it should be noted that Costs are configured from the Production Module. 

If you navigate to Production --> Production Admin --> Tasks/Costs, you will come across this screen, which will be blank if you are new to the module: 

Select the blue Create New button, as circled above, and you will be shown the following: 

As you can see above, we have selected the Cost? checkbox to indicate that this is a cost. Items can be both a task and a cost if needed - simply make sure that you have both boxes checked.

You will then be able to choose your Cost Type from the dropdown menu (ie. whether this cost is categorised as editorial, production or freight on your P&L report) and add an Account Code if your organisation has separate budgets for different departments. 

Select "Create" and your cost will be saved. 

Adding Editorial Statuses 

Next to configure is your Editorial Statuses. This function allows you to get a quick overview of where your projects sit within the Editorial process, and also ties into our Editorial Workflow functionality. The status of each editorial project will be displayed on your main project list like so:

To create a status, select Editorial Status from the Editorial Admin menu and you will be taken to this screen, which will be empty if you have not yet begun to populate your Editorial Statuses: 

Select the blue Create New button, as highlighted above, and you will be shown the following: 

Fill out a name for your status in the Status field. 

You can then use the checkboxes to determine which modules you would like to be able to view and use the statuses in. In this instance, please select 'Editorial'. 

From this screen, you also have the ability to archive the status if you no longer want it to be displayed within drop-down menus.

Once you are ready, select the blue Create button to add your status to the list. 

You are now ready to create your default Editorial schedule templates.