Try It Out

Now that you've learned how the Version Cue workflow works, it's time to try it out and see how you can take advantage of Version Cue to make your work environment more productive and efficient. Here are a few suggestions for how to integrate Version Cue into your workflow.

It's always wise to start out small, and to test a new process in a limited way before implementing it throughout your entire workgroup.

You might set up a test environment on one computer that is not on the local area network, or is not used in daily production. Set up the Version Cue workspace initially as private. Experiment creating and working with a project to get a feeling for the way Version Cue works. Import some existing files into the project. Try out saving other files into the project and creating new versions and alternates.

If you work with others in a workgroup, practice with a colleague creating a shared project and its files. See what happens when both of you have a file open at the same time. Get a feeling for how often you need to save versions, and how to synchronize your working copy with the Version Cue workspace.

Finally, think through some of the issues we've discussed in this chapter: How you do want to create your projects for each job, or on a client basis? Do you need to establish more elaborate user logins, passwords, and permissions, given the nature of your workgroup and the kind of projects you work on? Should you set up a server-based Version Cue workspace, or do you want it installed on individual workstations? You'll have to figure out the answers to these and other questions based on your unique environment so you can integrate Version Cue into your workflow.