Part 1. Selecting Business Management Software
Information Technology in the Printing Industry
A Company-Wide
Endeavor
The selection of an integrated
business management system is one of the most important decisions a
company makes. The choice can have an influence on almost every
department and person within a printing organization, including
sales, estimating, order entry, customer service, production,
purchasing, shipping, and accounting. The right choice can help a
company turn around estimates faster, enhance customer
relationships, maximize productivity, speed throughput, reduce
costs, improve profits, and provide many other rewarding benefits.
On the other hand, the wrong choice can cost a company a substantial
amount of money wasted on software, hardware, training, lost
production, and wages. In the series of white papers sponsored by
EBC and PIFE titled Information Technology in the Printing Industry:
A Company-wide Endeavor Part 1 offers a simple and structured
six-step approach for evaluating business management software and
selecting the best solution for your business needs.
About the Author: Craig L.
Press, president of Profectus Inc., serves on the PIA/GATF
E-Business Council Steering Committee and is a consultant for PIA/GATF.
Craig's credentials include thirty years of hands-on experience in
printing estimating, order entry, operations, production, inventory
control, and cost accounting. He has twenty-five years of experience
with printing industry management software selection,
implementation, optimization, marketing, training, design, and
development. He is also a leading consultant on process improvement
and information technology.
Table of Contents: Section 1.
Introduction • Section 2. Step One: Preparing and Selecting the Team
• Section 3. Step Two: Identifying Your Requirements • Section 4.
Step Three: Search for Best-Fit Solution • Section 5. Step Four:
Product Proposals • Section 6. Step Five: Product Demonstrations •
Section 7. Step Six: Making Your Final Selection • Section 8. Case
Study: • Section 9. Appendix
Part 2: Implementing Business Management Software
Information Technology in the Printing Industry
A Company-wide Endeavor
Implementing a business management
system is a company-wide endeavor that entails training employees,
executing a calculated plan, establishing realistic goals,
appropriately setting up the system, realigning business processes,
and testing systematically before going live. Implementation may be
a demanding undertaking, but when performed properly, a business
management system provide generous paybacks; however, implementing a
system incorrectly can have a devastating financial impact on an
organization. In the series of white papers sponsored by EBC and
PIFE titled Information Technology in the Printing Industry: A
Company-wide Endeavor Part 2 describes a process for companies to
use when implementing their business management software in order to
quickly maximize the potential benefits of the chosen software and
reap a return on investment of their new or existing business
management system.
About the Author: Craig L.
Press, president of Profectus Inc., serves on the PIA/GATF
E-Business Council Steering Committee and is a consultant for PIA/GATF.
Craig's credentials include thirty years of hands-on experience in
printing estimating, order entry, operations, production, inventory
control, and cost accounting. He has twenty-five years of experience
with printing industry management software selection,
implementation, optimization, marketing, training, design, and
development. He is also a leading consultant on process improvement
and information technology.
Table of Contents:
Introduction • Getting Started • Preparing an Implementation Plan •
Setting Up the System • Preparing to Go Live • Going Live •
Post-Implementation • Case Study • Conclusion • Appendix: Example
System Testing Form
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