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IN THIS ARTICLE
What Are Production Items?
Production Items are the individual components of work required to produce a piece of content placement.
They allow teams to break a larger production workflow into separate, manageable items. Each item can be linked to a placement and sequenced according to the order in which the work must be completed. This ensures the placement cannot begin until all relevant production items have been completed.
A Placement represents the content or distribution included within a Product. A Production Item represents a supporting component needed to create that placement.
For example, a Video Product may include a Video Placement as its final deliverable, while its supporting production workflow may contain separate Production Items for the Script, Storyboard and Creative Treatment.
Why Were Production Items Created?
Production is rarely completed in a single step. It often involves several components managed by different people at different stages.
Without a structured workflow, it can be difficult to see:
What needs to be produced
Which placement each item supports
Who is responsible for each component
Which work must be approved before the next item can begin
Production Items were created to represent these real-world production processes within PubSuite.
They help teams:
Break content production into clearly defined components
Assign responsibility across the production workflow
Connect production items to the relevant placement
Control the order of work using dependency logic
Reduce delays caused by unclear handovers
Manage more complex production workflows within Campaign Manager
When Should Production Items Be Used?
Use Production Items when:
A placement requires several components before it can be completed
Different team members are responsible for different parts of production
One item must be reviewed or approved before another can begin
A product has format-specific production requirements
An existing campaign content item requires additional production work
Your team needs greater visibility over the order of production tasks
The required Production Items will depend on the format and your team’s production process.
How Do Production Items Relate to Placements?
Production Items are connected to the placement they support.
They can be added to:
Primary Distribution Placements
Supplementary Distribution Placements
This allows each placement within a product to have its own production workflow.
For example, a product could include:
Video Placement - the campaign content or distribution being published
Creative Deck - the agreed creative direction
Script Production - the written content required for the video
Audio Production - the voiceover or sound required for the video
The Creative Deck, Script Production and Audio Production are separate Production Items associated with the Video Placement.
Format-specific items can also be created. For example:
A Video Placement may require a Creative Deck
A Written Article Placement may require an Article Copy
How Does The ‘Blocked By’ Logic Work?
The Blocked By setting allows teams to define dependencies between Production Items or between a Production Item and the placement it supports.
When one item is blocked by another, it cannot begin until the item it depends on reaches Approved status.
For example, a video workflow could be structured as follows:
The Creative Deck is completed first
The Script Production is blocked by the Creative Deck
The Video Production is blocked by the Script Production
Work on each blocked item begins only after the preceding item has been approved
This creates the following workflow: Creative Deck → Script Production → Video Production
The system also prevents closed dependency loops.
For example, the following setup is not allowed:
The Script Production is blocked by the Video Production
The Video Production is also blocked by the Script Production
Preventing closed loops ensures that the workflow remains logical and can continue progressing.
Where Can Production Items Be Created?
There are two ways to create Production Items.
1. In the Product Form
Production Items can be configured while creating or editing a product in the Product Form.
The dedicated Production Items tab allows you to:
Add items to Primary Placements
Add items to Supplementary Placements
Create format-specific items
Attach each item to the relevant placement
Define dependencies using the Blocked By setting
This method is best suited to production requirements that are typically associated with a specific Product. It saves time by automatically including the relevant Production Items and Placements whenever the Product is added.
2. Within Campaign Manager
Production Items can also be added directly to an existing content item within Campaign Manager.
Use the Add New action to create the required Production Item within the campaign.
This method is useful when:
The item is specific to one campaign
Production requirements have changed
An additional component is required after the content has been created
The required item was not included during product setup
Choosing the Right Method
Use the Product Form when the Production Item forms part of the standard production structure for a product.
Use Campaign Manager when the Production Item is required for a specific campaign or needs to be added to an existing content item. This method is best suited to one-off or non-recurring production requirements.
To learn more, visit How To: Add Production Items to Content.
Need More Help?
Contact PubSuite Support via the chatbot button located in the lower-right corner of your screen.