PageDNA Introduces Item Assignment: Clear Ownership for Every Job

Launching February 18

PageDNA is excited to announce a major new capability that takes our production workflows a decisive step closer to MIS-style operational control: Item Assignment.

If you’ve ever managed a complex, multi-item order and thought, “Who owns this right now?”, this release is for you.

What Is Item Assignment?

Item Assignment extends PageDNA’s existing Manufacturer-based workflows by adding clear, trackable ownership at the individual item level of an order.

Manufacturers already define where work is produced.
Item Assignment defines who is responsible for each item—at every stage of production.

With Item Assignment, every job moves through a visible chain of responsibility from prepress to shipment.

What Teams Can Do with Item Assignment

Item Assignment gives production teams a practical way to manage real-world handoffs without guesswork.

Teams can:

• Assign responsibility to a specific person, department, or role
• Confidently manage multi-item orders with different production paths
• Support internal and external handoffs without losing accountability
• Maintain ownership as work progresses from step to step

The result is fewer stalled jobs, fewer internal follow-ups, and far less “Who’s working on this?” noise.

How It Works in Practice

Consider a common production scenario:

A customer places a three-item order through a PageDNA storefront.

1. Prepress
   All three items are initially assigned to a Prepress operator for artwork checks and setup.
2. Production
   Once approved, items are reassigned to the appropriate Press operators based on how each item is produced.  Each item may go through its own unique (or shared) set of Assignees – by name or station.
3. Shipping
   After production, all items are assigned to Shipping for final delivery.

Each reassignment is intentional, visible, and accountable. No guessing. No dropped handoffs.

Why This Matters

Production slows down when responsibility isn’t clear.

Multi-item orders, parallel workflows, and frequent handoffs make it easy for work to stall—or quietly fall between teams. Item Assignment eliminates that ambiguity by making ownership explicit.

Every item always has an owner. Every team knows what comes next.

The Business Impact

For administrators and leadership, Item Assignment delivers immediate operational value:

• Clear accountability across production lanes
• Fewer bottlenecks and internal follow-ups
• A scalable workflow model that grows with your operation

This is a foundational step toward more MIS-style control, without the overhead and friction traditionally associated with MIS systems.

Item Assignment + Order Manager

Item Assignment is fully integrated into PageDNA’s Order Manager, giving teams a single, centralized place to:

• View assigned work by person, role, or department
• Track job status and due dates
• Move work to the next step
• Mark items complete or shipped

Manufacturers define the production lane. Assignees define ownership within that lane.

Together, they create a clear, trackable production flow from order to shipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Item Assignment replacing PageDNA’s Manufacturers concept?

No. Manufacturers still define where work goes. Item Assignment adds ownership within those workflows – extending the concept.

Can items be reassigned as work progresses?

Yes. Items can be reassigned at each stage to reflect real production handoffs.

Does this work for internal teams and external vendors?

Yes. Assignees can represent internal operators, departments, or external partners (say, trade vendors).

Is this required for all customers?

Item Assignment is included and available to all PageDNA customers immediately.  This feature is optional, but highly recommended for teams managing multi-item orders or complex workflows.

Learn More

Item Assignment is available starting February 18.

To see how it works in practice—including setup, workflow usage, and Order Manager actions—explore the full reference guide:

Item Assignment & Job Accountability [link: https://pdna.me/Docs-Item-Assignment]

This release represents a significant milestone in PageDNA’s evolution toward deeper, more scalable production control—and we’re just getting started.