Design and creative production: Operations dashboard for animation studios
An operational dashboard for animation studios that shows per production step how much time goes into revisions, with which clients and stages it builds up and why.
Which figures animation studios really need.
Animation studios know revisions cost time, but rarely how much or exactly where. Does most of it go into storyboard changes, which are relatively cheap, or into adjustments to finished animation, which cost far more? Is it always the same clients who need lots of rounds, or does it depend on a type of production? Without an overview, every new quote assumes the same number of rounds, while reality varies widely. The margin on a production only becomes clear afterwards, when nothing can be done about it anymore.
Operations dashboard for animation studios
Example- 1
Define revisions and changes
DoneFirst we agree what counts as a revision: a client feedback round, an internal correction or a change after approval.
- 2
Connect hours and rounds
In progressThe dashboard reads feedback rounds and approvals from the portal, scene statuses from the scene cards and hours from time tracking.
- 3
Dig into the outliers
NextProductions or clients where revision time is clearly above average are flagged.
From scattered figures to one overview.
Define revisions and changes
First we agree what counts as a revision: a client feedback round, an internal correction or a change after approval. We also set which production steps are measured and how a change that affects several scenes is counted. Those definitions are written into the dashboard, so everyone reads the figures the same way.
Connect hours and rounds
The dashboard reads feedback rounds and approvals from the portal, scene statuses from the scene cards and hours from time tracking. Per production, stage and scene you can see how much time went into the first pass and how much into revisions. Nothing is entered separately for the dashboard.
Dig into the outliers
Productions or clients where revision time is clearly above average are flagged. Clicking through shows which stage and which comments took the most time. You can then tell whether the problem lies in an unclear script, a storyboard approved too quickly or a client with many approvers.
Figures from your own work.
Hours come from the time tracking animators already use, feedback rounds from the portal or review tool, and scenes from the schedule. If time isn't currently logged per stage or scene, the dashboard starts with rounds and approvals and adds hours later. The dashboard writes nothing back. The producer and the owner are the regular users; animators see their own productions without comparisons between people.
Measure time or count rounds
Counting rounds is simple and doesn't need time tracking. But a round with one colour tweak is not the same as a round where three scenes have to be redone. Measuring time gives a fairer picture, but requires animators to log hours per stage. The dashboard can start with rounds and add time once it's available.
By client or by production type
By client you see which relationships cost a lot of revision time, which helps with the next quote for that client. By production type you see whether character animation, for example, consistently needs more rounds than motion graphics. Both are useful but serve different goals: one for the relationship, the other for the standard price.
Share with clients or keep internal
Sharing an overview of rounds and revision time with a client can help explain why a production overran. It can also come across as an accusation. Most studios keep the dashboard internal and use the insights in conversation, with concrete examples from the production rather than charts.
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Read the storyWhich figures we put on the dashboard.
From the start the dashboard shows revision time and the number of rounds per production step, client and production type, with click-through to comments and scenes. We load data from recent productions and hold the picture up against a production you know ran over, and why. If that picture holds, you base the number of included rounds per production type in the quote on real data from then on, instead of on gut feeling.
View pricingSupport and updatesGood to know.
Explore pricing and optionsDo we need time tracking per scene?
Not necessarily. Per stage is often enough to see where revision time goes. Per scene gives more detail, but takes more discipline from the team. Start with what you already track and check after a few productions whether more detail is really needed for the decisions you make.
Can the dashboard show which animator spends most time on revisions?
Technically yes, but revision time says more about the script, the client and the approval process than about the animator. A dashboard that compares people tends to produce less honest time logging. That's why it focuses on productions and stages, not individuals.
How do we use the insights in new quotes?
The dashboard shows per production type and per existing client how many rounds were needed on average. That can be the starting point for the number of included rounds and the price. A client who always needs many rounds then gets a more realistic proposal.
Does the dashboard show margin per production?
If the quoted price and the hours are available, the dashboard can show the estimated margin per production. That makes visible which productions earned less because of revisions. The owner can then see where a different agreement in the quote is needed.
What often connects to this.
- Digital job cards for animation studiosDigital job cards for animation studios: a scene card per shot with the current storyboard version, feedback, file location and status, so everyone works from the same version.
- Website for animation studiosA website for animation studios that shows, per animation style and production type, what a client can expect, how a project runs and what a first conversation needs.
- Enquiry form for animation studiosAn enquiry form for animation studios that asks for script, desired length, audience, channel and deadline, so a production can be assessed and budgeted straight away.
See where the work drifts.
Start with a short intake. Then we schedule a call to show the software with your services, team and way of working.
WhatsAppinfo@vorlyo.com Operational dashboard for animation studios: revision time per production step, client and type of change, traceable to feedback rounds and approvals.
- Define revisions and changes
- Connect hours and rounds
- Dig into the outliers