Use Workflow automations and smart field mapping to reduce manual data entry, improve request quality, and keep projects moving with less back-and-forth.





TABLE OF CONTENTS



The Automation Mindset

The biggest efficiency gains come from starting automation at intake (your creative brief) and carrying it through:

  1. Request Forms (collect the right information from the start)
  2. Project Templates (apply structure automatically)
  3. Review Routes (standardize approvals)
  4. Scheduling + Integrations (reduce manual coordination)




Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Too many open-text fields in Request Forms → inconsistent data and more clarification
  • No required fields in Request Forms → Projects start incomplete
  • Project Templates assigned to people, not Specialties → constant template maintenance as teams change
  • Inconsistent tagging → messy reporting and harder filtering
  • Review Routes rebuilt manually each time → avoidable admin work and inconsistent approvals
  • No date restrictions → Stakeholders pick impossible due dates




Start Here: Lytho Workflow Automation – Quick Start Checklist

Download this one-page checklist to quickly assess your Lytho Workflow setup and spot opportunities to standardize intake, execution, and Reviews with less manual work. Use it as a fast audit to identify gaps, then use the guidance below to implement improvements.


Download the checklist




Automate at Intake with Smarter Request Forms

Why it matters: Requests are where work begins — and where missing or inconsistent information creates rework. A well-designed form reduces clarification cycles and ensures clean data from day one.


Single deliverable vs. campaign (multi-deliverable) forms

Single deliverable form

  • Best when Stakeholders usually request one output at a time (i.e. one flyer).
  • Keeps intake simple and fast.


Campaign (multi-deliverable) form

  • Best for initiatives that produce multiple deliverables (i.e. event, product launch, promotion).
  • Stakeholder enters high-level campaign information once, then selects deliverables.
  • Each deliverable becomes its own Project (with its own owners, dates, and workflow), nested under the Campaign.


Best practice

  • Use single deliverable forms for “one-off” work.
  • Use Campaign forms when deliverables have different timelines, specialists, or review paths.



Use Tags & Tag mapping for structure and reporting

Tags help you segment work for:

  • Filtering and Custom Views
  • Reporting (volumes by campaign, audience, team, tier, etc.)


Two ways apply Tags:

  • Self-service/editable forms: Add a “Tags” field directly on the form.
  • Concierge forms: Use Tag mapping to apply Tags dynamically based on form selections.



Use Custom Fields for standardized, reportable data

Custom Fields capture consistent data that’s important to your organization, such as:

  • Requesting department
  • Request tier
  • Deliverable type
  • Content provided
  • Send dates (e.g., email blast date)
  • Cost center / budget code


Custom Field types available:

  • Single-select dropdown
  • Date field
  • Open-ended textbox
  • Number field


Best practice

  • Use Custom Fields when the data should be reportable and consistent.
  • Use Tags when you need flexible categorization, especially for multi-select.



Require what you must have

Set required fields within your Request Form for anything your team must know to begin work.


Examples include:

  • Deliverables
  • Content provided
  • Critical dates
  • Approver/owner information (if applicable)


This prevents “submit now, clarify later.”



Date restrictions to protect your team’s timelines

Use date restrictions to prevent unrealistic deadlines. In the video example, the due date picker blocks the first 20 days (about 4 weeks) to enforce a minimum lead time.


Best practice

  • Align date restrictions to your real production windows and SLAs (and revisit quarterly).



Dynamic Project Templates (auto-apply the right workflow)

Connect a selection on the Request Form to automatically apply a matching Project Template, such as:

  • Tier 1: highly structured, longer timeline
  • Tier 2: standard 2–4 weeks
  • Tier 3: quick turn template


This ensures Tasks, timing, Specialties, and Review Routes are already in place when the Request is accepted.



Dynamic Acceptors for the Request 

Set dynamic Acceptors so the right people are notified and can triage Requests before work begins.


Best practice

  • Have at least two Acceptors assigned to each Request in case someone is on PTO.



Form design best practices that prevent back-and-forth

Use conditional logic (Concierge forms only)

Conditional logic shows only the fields relevant to what the Requester selected, which:

  • Reduces confusion
  • Improves completion rates
  • Prevents irrelevant data


Note: Self-service/editable forms don’t support conditional logic, so all questions remain visible.


Replace open-ended questions with structured choices

Prefer:

  • Dropdowns
  • Radio buttons
  • Multi-select


Use “Other” and a short text field only when needed.


Add static text and helper text

Use embedded guidance to clarify what “good” looks like:

  • Instructions
  • Definitions
  • Examples of acceptable inputs


Add helpful links

Include links directly in the Request Form to reduce missteps, such as:

  • Brand or style guides
  • Size/spec requirements
  • Asset library or Brand Center references





Standardize Execution with Project Templates

Why it matters: Project Templates reduce setup time and make Project structure predictable — especially across multiple deliverable types and teams.


Pin Custom Fields so key info is always visible

Pin important Custom Fields in the Project Template so contributors don’t have to open a new panel to find:

  • Requesting department
  • Request tier
  • Key dates
  • Budget code



Tag Projects and Work items at the template level

Tagging at the template level ensures every Project and key Tasks are consistently categorized.


Extra helpful when multiple teams share one instance:

Tag Work by team (Marketing, Social, E-comm, Marcomm) to filter and report by ownership.



Assign Specialties (build for change)

Assign Specialties to Work items instead of specific people:

  • Makes templates resilient to staffing changes
  • Lets you update the Specialty-to-person mapping once instead of editing many templates



Pre-set Statuses and Priorities

Start Projects in the correct status (i.e. “Planned” instead of “To Do”) and set:

  • Project Priority (i.e. Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3, or High/Medium/Low)
  • Work item Priority (so assignees see urgency in their queue)



Automatic Date Calculations

Set Work to automatically calculate dates relative to:

  • Project Start Date
  • Project Due Date


This keeps timelines consistent and reduces manual date management.



Add Level of Effort (LOE)


Include LOE at the Work item level so the Project Template can roll up total effort per Project type. This supports:

  • Capacity planning
  • Better forecasting
  • More credible reporting on workload





Automate Reviews with Review Route Templates

Why it matters: Standard Review Routes reduce setup effort and ensure the right people review at the right time.


Best practices for Review Route Templates

  • Create Route Templates by project type / tier / deliverable type
  • Use more robust routes for longer, higher-risk work (Tier 1)
  • Use simplified routes for quick turn work (Tier 3) to avoid bottlenecks


Embed Review Routes into Project Templates

Add the correct Review Route to the Proof inside your Project Template, so assignees don’t need to choose or build routes manually.





Improve Findability with Automated Naming & Numbering

Why it matters: Inconsistent naming makes work harder to find, report on, and reference. Automated naming and numbering remove guesswork at intake and ensure Projects and Campaigns follow a shared standard from day one.


Auto-Naming for Projects & Campaigns

Auto-Naming applies a consistent naming pattern automatically when Projects and Campaigns are created.


Best practice

  • Use fields already being collected during the Request process (deliverable type, channel, or date).
  • Keep names short and scannable.
  • Document the standard so Team Members know what to expect.


This eliminates manual naming and keeps work easy to search and filter.



Auto-Numbering for Campaigns, Projects, or Requests

Auto-Numbering assigns a unique, sequential ID to each item.


Best practice

  • Use numbers as the system reference (for reporting, audits, and conversations).
  • Pair Auto-Numbering with Auto-Naming: names provide context, numbers provide precision.


This ensures every piece of work can be referenced quickly — even when names are similar.





Improve Planning Accuracy with Scheduling Settings

Set Business and Non-Business Days

Define weekends, holidays, and closures so timelines don’t accidentally land on non-working days.


Use Availability

When scheduling or assigning Work, Lytho Workflow can flag conflicts from through Workload Capacity Warnings and the Workload panel (i.e. assigning a Task due when someone is out).


This helps prevent unrealistic commitments and smooths workload distribution.





Reduce Manual Communication by Using Integrations

Use integrations to keep work moving where people already work:

  • Slack / Microsoft Teams: Send Review notifications to reduce inbox noise and speed up Reviewer response.
  • Jira: Automatically create a Jira story from a Workflow Work item when work needs to flow to technical teams.