Workgroups DaVinci Software

Pros

Software is very clean and straightforward, incredibly user friendly and effective for what it's function is. By far, one of the best softwares I have seen for cross-functional use and accountability of a team.

Cons

Depending on the need of the software (which process you are managing), it can be very difficult to create new process within the system. For example, if this is set up for approvals, it is challenging to try and also create workflows for timeline management as it requires you follow similar steps across both processes.

None, ultimately we moved to a different platform.

Pros

Their ability to lock down individual users to specific areas of the system was handy, gave me the flexibility to keep users confined to only the areas they needed access too.

Cons

Bad UX, outdated and clunky interface masking a ton of inefficiencies. If you need anything done, it's written in it's own proprietary language that has little supporting documentation and their cost to code is an hour!!!!

It allows us to keep track of all kinds of info about our products. These are mainly religious trade books. It also allows us to track the status of each product as it moved toward completion, and integrates with Microsoft Reporting Services to make decent reports.

Pros

It does come preconfigured with some tables and forms that give you a place to start, so you're not starting from scratch. I also like the fact that email notifications are built into the system, and there's a fairly easy to use GUI used to create the conditions for when notifications should be sent.

Cons

As an IT person tasked with administering and developing for this platform, I found it very difficult to use. Creating anything of value beyond simple fields on a form requires knowledge of their own variant of JavaScript called MetaScript. There is limited and poor documentation on this, even when doing a Google search. When calling tech support we rarely got good answers. We have also been told by the developer of this software that they didn't even support end-users (like the IT staff at our company) doing their own development for it. By development I mean creating tables, fields, and forms, and making a useful database out of it, to keep track of certain data.

Pros

offered large file storage.

Cons

Not a turn-key platform (it's sold as that)
, was not usable and refunded us nothing
None of the staff stuck around so it was passed off to people who didn't know the history
Very complicated infrastructure and constant errors resulting in my team losing trust in the product
Project Management didn't follow thru, high internal turnover rate so no one knew what anyone was doing
CEO/Sales kept thousands of dollars from a nonprofit that couldn't use the system

We may not get our money back, but the most responsible thing I can do is let others know what they're getting into. I would highly discourage anyone from using this platform.

Pros

Ability to annotate directly on documents. Keeping past versions with the current version and being able to compare versions against each other.

Cons

Cannot chat within the annotation software unless you are set as a reviewer for that specific round. Can't tag people with and @ to notify them if a question is asked.

We now can pull anayltics or metrics for the purposes of performance reviews or reporting. The workflows allow us to better prioritize high strategic from straight to production type jobs or projects

Pros

The ability to control workflows and internal processes. We like the fact that all jobs are tracked and can referenced easily

Cons

The need to have everything customized. Developer rates are very expensive so we are reluctant to get too much customization work done

Better project management workflow and communication.

Pros

24/7 access and web-based function. Solid project coordination tools and training. Strong asset management tools.

Cons

Technical support has been spotty with changes in personnel at Meta Communications. We need more consistent and timely support. Contact our lead administrator about this.

Easier to gain feedback from managers, feedback is shown in the exact place where the change needs to be made instead of in an email or over a conversation. Our team's workflow has improved, less back and fourth between approvals. Deadlines and reminder emails keep us on track.

Pros

I like holding all elements of a job in once place. And keeping the different versions of the proofs stacked on top of each other. The way to mark up documents in a proof has cut down on a lot of back and fourth between team members. I know exactly where to make a change on a document, flyer, ad etc. Customer support has been awesome and super quick responding to our help tickets!

Cons

It can be frustrating that making changes to an existing template does not update all current jobs using that template. Especially when there are 20+ jobs that are affected. The app times outs / crashing if there is inactivity. I must restart the app 3-5 times a day. Not sure if this is a Mac issue.

Organization for project management and software proofing

Pros

I love the proofing system. That has helped our group become more organized and efficient. Being able to copy a link right into the proofing system has been a huge time saver. Also the ability to edit a template per job allows for a lot of customizability.

Cons

The software is a little clunky still. I would love to see a more modern look and feel for the user face. Also there are some clunks when it comes to Mac users.

Every software takes time to learn and use, what makes the experience quicker is having a good customer support at your fingertips. The customer service for Workgoups DaVinci has helped me with each question I had. They were polite, patient and thorough.

Pros

The proofing capabilities are fantastic. They have consolidated traffic, kept us on schedule and minimized our emails. It's the best part of the software.

Cons

While the design is simple, it's not as intuitive as you think. There are not column headers on the dashboard and if you click on the job number, name or button it will take you to a different task or identifier.

Davinci has transformed our workflow. Projects move much faster from start to finish. Approvals are quicker and more concise.

We have a few months of experience in for this tool, and thus far it is working well. There is a learning curve with it, and that has been a hurdle. But, like other software, the more you use it, the more comfortable you are with it. There are a few tweaks I'd like to see in it, but, by and large, it has served its purpose. (I put a "3" on Value for Money, but, frankly, I was not involved in the purchase aspect of the software, so I have no idea what the value for the money actually is.)

Pros

Enables collaboration across functions inside the company, and with outside vendors.

Cons

Not as flexible, at least out of the box, as I'd like it to be. Also, I work with project numbers, and I'd like a project number to be associated with every email and piece of communication, and that doesn't happen. We have many projects that are similar and have similar titles. I'd be able to better distinguish which project is what if it always also referenced a project number.

Software has a lot of great features but could use some work regarding how intuitive it is to use. Have had a significant amount of technical glitches and it seems that something always needs to be fixed with the system. Overall, it is better than what we had but I will continue to look for other options.

Pros

The proofing system works well for users.

Cons

Very glitchy.
Not intuitive.
A lot of steps and buttons to click through to get to one point. Seems like this could have been consolidated.
No easy way to run reports. Very confusing set up.
Despite having the dashboard up and open on my computer, it constantly times out. No easy way to log back in. Have to click through a bunch of error buttons, then close the whole thing down. Then open it back up and log back in. Happens 3-4 times daily. Have contacted support about this but never any response.

Advice to Others

Keep looking elsewhere. We opted for this because it seemed to have everything we needed. The demo is very deceiving as you get just a very small view of what it is. Ask A LOT of questions first. The software isn't awful. It just needs a lot of work and I think input from users to make it more intuitive. I hope they fix it because it has potential.