Key Takeaways from The Grand Journey Adobe Summit Presentation

This year, we partnered with Grand Design RV (GDRV) to present our Adobe Summit 2022 Session, The Grand Journey: Driving Content Management, Workflow, and UX. In this presentation, we covered a lot of ground about how GDRV partnered with Hoodoo to do a two-part integration: Workfront + Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and Adobe Experience Manager + GDRV’s internal RV specification database.

Here are three key takeaways from the presentation that you’ll want to keep in mind if you are considering a Workfront + AEM integration for your business. 

1. Disconnected technologies that require the same data impede your team’s efficiency
   One of the primary issues many businesses face is that they have a variety of related but disconnected technology tools. These are the tools that use some of the same data but are designed for different purposes - eg finance and product management, or eCommerce marketing and inventory tracking. 
   
   The data these tools share often create redundant work for your team - primarily (but certainly not limited to) data entry. Instead of relying on your team to manually and accurately input data across systems, you should explore opportunities to integrate systems so they can autonomously share data. This helps ensure data consistency and can significantly reduce the workload on your teams. Though - you may have to find a new task for your interns. 
   
   
2. Out-of-date systems fail to account for the needs and demands of today’s workflows.
   One of the biggest challenges GDRV faced was that they were using technologies and processes that were out of date - pertaining to both their website and their workflows. This was hampering their ability to serve their markets effectively and efficiently.
   
   GDRV isn’t alone in facing this problem. As the world has transitioned to cloud-based and subscription-based platforms, many businesses have found themselves with outdated technologies that are both cumbersome and expensive - and they work just well enough that businesses don’t want to abandon them because they were a huge investment.
   
   But the fact is, technology is evolving faster than ever before, and when you find that a specific technology seems to be a sticking point for your business, it’s time to do a cost-benefit analysis that not only considers the financials of the issue but also considers the future state of your business and whether or not your older technology will allow you to achieve that vision and beyond.
   
   
3. Don’t forget to think outside the box.
   It can be tremendously difficult to break out of your tunnel-vision when it comes to thinking about how your company uses your technology stack. As you bring on new technologies, consider your entire technology stack as a cohesive unit that should be working together. Think dynamically about the platforms you are using and how you might be able to broaden their reach to improve your team’s efficiency, bottom line, or customer experience.
   
   Finding an implementation partner that is also a consultancy, like Hoodoo Digital, can help evaluate how to use the breadth of your technology stack to better solve your business needs. 

These are just three key takeaways from our Summit session with GDRV, and we cover even more in the recording. Our session also includes demos showing how GDRV is using their Workfront + AEM integration and their custom AEM + third-party database integration. Click here to watch the recording.