Case study
How Vufinder Studios standardised the film production process through Asana
| Industry | Virtual film production |
| Location: | Warsaw (office + film studio) |
| Largest customers: | Carlsberg, One Plus, Air Wick, Bosch, Vanish, Polsat, Finish, TOTAL, Play, Interwetten |
| Team: | 14 people |
Toolkit used in the transformation
Asana
work management application
Google Drive
file storage
Salesforce
CRM
Miro
work management application
A few words about the organisation
VuFinder Studios is a distinctive Full-Service Virtual Production studio. The team of talented artists delivers great projects while setting the standard for virtual production – a rapidly growing branch of the film industry.
Before
- Lack of full control over project priorities and schedules
- Information getting lost in a jumble of emails and scattered communications
- No mapped virtual production process
After
- No clear visibility of multiple ongoing projects on a timeline, including their current stage and priority
- Inefficient communication between divisions, lacking consistent conventions
- Introduction of a detailed process map and project template in Asana, enabling any production to launch quickly and with clarity
Introduction
Challenge
Within VuFinder Studios – like in many production houses handling high-budget projects – operational challenges began to surface.
The Enviro team, a passionate and creative group responsible for virtual production graphics, relied on traditional tools like spreadsheets and emails to manage the stages of creating virtual environments, from Kick-off through Prelight to Shoot.
This setup worked for a while, but as productions became more complex, it started to hinder more than help.
Demanding timelines and high client expectations meant the team needed to operate at full capacity – yet the lack of a central system connecting milestones, stages, and tasks made it difficult to stay aligned.
Frustration grew. Communication fragmented. Efficiency dropped. The team’s energy was increasingly spent on chasing updates rather than delivering great work.
Solution
Implementation of Asana in 3 stages
Step 1
Mapping the process with simultaneous optimisation
A key factor in the successful implementation of any project management tool is the prior mapping of the work area being transitioned into it.
After conducting hundreds of such mappings, we’ve found that the most critical areas to address include:
- organisational structures,
- intra-team workflows, an
- cross-team processes,
For VuFinder Studios, we focused on mapping the virtual production coordination process.
We began by gaining a deeper understanding of the recurring challenges within the workflow.
These surfaced clearly during the analysis of the RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) matrix, which was designed to define the sequence of actions, as well as roles and responsibilities.
Through joint brainstorming and an initial transfer of the RACI model into a process map, it quickly became clear where the first gaps and misalignments occurred – revealing the root causes of recurring frustration and delays.
With a complete list of challenges in hand, we launched a series of collaborative sessions to map the existing process in detail.
Step by step, we defined:
- The full sequence of process steps
- Milestones marking the completion of each stage
- Key tasks and their dependencies
- Responsible team members for each element
By moving from the general to the specific, we gained not only a comprehensive view of the process but also uncovered clear opportunities for optimisation.
The increased transparency across phases and tasks allowed the team to eliminate redundant steps—leading, just three months after project completion, to a noticeable boost in overall team efficiency.
Results
Full understanding of the activity sequence and interdependencies between team members
Elimination of prolonged communication loops already at the process mapping stage
Stage 2
Learning about Asana and best use practices
With the process mapped out, the next step was introducing the VuFinder Studios team to Asana.
But why now, before transferring the process?
We’ve learned that this sequence significantly improves the overall implementation.
Getting familiar with the tool ahead of the actual migration allows participants to navigate Asana with confidence and better understand how its features align with the real steps of their workflow.
This approach speeds up the adoption process and empowers the team to take ownership of the tool from day one.
Before the training, we activated a 30-day free trial – one of the key standards in our implementation programmes.
This gives teams the chance to explore the full version of Asana, go through training, and make an informed decision about the best plan moving forward.
Prior to training, we activated a 30-day free trial of Asana.
This is one of the standards of our implementation programmes, allowing us the freedom to test the full version of Asana, provide training and ultimately select a suitable plan.
During this phase we:
- delivered dedicated training,
- consolidated practical knowledge Asana use,
- demonstrated proven methods for using the tool effectively
As a result, VuFinder Studios gained a clear understanding of how to apply Asana in daily operations. Every team member could confidently contribute to ongoing projects, using the platform not just as a task list—but as a shared system of work.
Results
- Full understanding of Asana, combined with habits for its effective use in daily work
Stage 3
Process transfer supported by clearly defined communication and work standards in Asana
Mapped process + Asana knowledge = Process Implementation readiness.
Once the team reached this stage, we moved into the process migration phase.
This marked a period of focused, hands-on activity—ensuring a smooth transition to the new platform and setting up VuFinder Studios for effective, confident use of Asana in daily operations.
01. Process migration
Based on the process map developed in Stage 1, we launched a series of workshops focused on migrating the workflow into Asana.
Following the same sequence used during the mapping phase, we gradually translated each element of the process into Asana’s information architecture—aligning stages, tasks, and responsibilities with the platform’s features and capabilities.
| Beyond Asana | In Asana |
|---|---|
| Process steps | Sections in the project |
| End of stage | Milestone |
| Actions/steps | Tasks |
| Materials used | Links in project description and tasks |
| Task cataloging | Selected custom fields and tags |
| Person in charge | Assigning a task to a selected person |
We also adapted more complex functionalities such as:
- task templates,
- dependencies,
- rules
02. Process Simulation
Since the process had already been recreated in Asana, it would’ve been a shame not to test it.
Together with the entire Enviro team, we met in person to run a full simulation of the workflow.
The goal? To walk through each stage, task, and milestone—engaging every team member at each step of the process in turn.
- Kick Off – project initiation and organisation
- Look Development – preparation and approval of moodboard and storyboard
- Blocking – preparation and acceptance of a virtual scene draft
- Scene Assembly – preparation and acceptance of the virtual scene
- VP Prelight – in-house tests prior to shooting
- Shooting – photos
- Closing project – closure of the production phase
The simulation workshop proved to be a valuable experience for the VuFinder Studios team.
Each participant stepped into their role within the process, navigating frequent use cases, communication scenarios, and responses to ad-hoc tasks.
The hands – on format gave the team space to experiment, test the system in real-world conditions, and learn from any missteps – safely and constructively.
03. Making a difference
At this stage, the VuFinder Studios team was already working in Asana.
On 22.09.23 (a few days after the simulation) we announced Asana Launch Day.
There was no turning back from that day. 😀
Asana has become a central collaborative tool for the Enviro team, and the main place to manage film productions for a growing list of clients.
Immediately after the transition to working in Asana, we focused our attention on consolidating the changes and ensuring that the use of Asana became standard in the organisation.
Activities included:
- finalising the Asana configuration,
- overview of the use of Asana,
- Weekly consultations and feeding the team with educational materials,
- support in consolidating working and communication conventions.
With this, we successfully completed the project—achieving the key goals of both process migration and Asana implementation.
The project’s success was confirmed by the team’s full readiness to work and communicate within Asana, aligned with the agreed conventions and the structured process we had transferred.
Just a few weeks after the implementation, the team already noticed measurable improvements:
- reduced levels of pressure, frustration, and day-to-day work challenges
- increased individual productivity, enabling more projects and tasks to be handled simultaneously
- clear understanding of responsibilities within Asana, along with improved awareness of priorities and deadlines
The three-stage digital transformation led to a noticeable boost in both efficiency and productivity – laying a strong foundation for the continued success of future projects.
With multiple projects running simultaneously each month, Asana has become essential to how we organize our work. It really shines when managing the many moving parts and variables we deal with daily.
Adam Oraczewski, Virtual Environment Coordinator
Final results
We’ve built a system where all participating graphic designers can stay up to date on project progress and easily access the materials they need.
It has also enabled us to seamlessly involve external specialists who don’t typically work within our internal structures.
As a result, we’re now able to take on more assignments each month—with the confidence that we can successfully manage larger, more complex productions.
for freedom. 