You don’t stay competitive by standing still.
There seems to be as many management information systems (MIS) or enterprise resource management (ERP) solutions on the market as there are problems they solve.
At printIQ, we find the term MIS or ERP a little limiting. When you’re looking at your entire print workflow system from design to delivery with integration points into other key systems, your solution has to be more than management information. This goes beyond administrative tasks; it is the management of your entire business-critical processes.
Management Workflow System (MWS) software should be at the core of any print business, regardless of size or segment. When you have the right system, an MWS can provide end to end efficiencies throughout your entire operation.
With so many vendors claiming to have a superior solution, where do you start?
BUY-IN. SIGN OFF.
You don’t need employee approval to make strategic or organizational changes. What you do need is their buy-in to be committed to the changes and engaged in the process so you retain a team who can execute.
- Be transparent: communicate the strategy.
- Set expectations: build out timelines and what success looks.
- Assign personalized tasks with milestones for accountability.
- Document processes, onboard and track progress.
- Be prepared to course correct. At the beginning of every large-scale project, you don’t know what you don’t know. Get set to update as data is revealed.
While managers and executives may eagerly grasp the business decisions and changes that move a company forward, the individuals may fear and unwittingly sabotage them. By engaging your entire organization, communicating the progress – both the wins and challenges – you’ll get your employee buy-in and be able to sign off a successful implementation.
SET EXPECTATIONS. NOBODY LIKES (BAD) SURPRISES.
Working from home or remotely is no longer a novelty. More than ever, businesses need to ensure that they can effectively manage employee engagement to keep the day-to-day operations running, maintaining strong customer satisfaction while still be able to work towards a ‘what’s next roadmap’ for the organization.
Adding in a major organizational change and the chasm threatens to get wider between what is expected and what is being delivered.
By setting clearly defined expectations there is less ambiguity on the impact each contributor is making towards the company’s goals.
When the manager and employees align on clearly defined expectations and measurable feedback is provided, there is little room for errors that can’t be corrected.
ASSIGN A CHAMPION. BE A TEAM.
Every team needs a champion. Somebody to lead, to stick their neck out, rally the troops and believe in the goal. This is the person who will wave the flag and hold us all accountable, but they can’t execute on the goals alone.
A management workflow system such as printIQ is designed to connect every part of the business so it is important to select a champion with the ability to investigate and understand the requirements of each department. The role of the champion is generally an informal role held by a senior member of the management team. In a perfect world the champion would ideally have the following attributes:
- A strong communicator and negotiator.
- A full supporter of all elements of the project.
- Involved in the project from the conception stage.
- Able to use their authority within the company to offer resources and additional expertise.
- Inspirational and motivational for the project team
In a competitive market, it’s the innovators that gain the advantage. At printIQ we understand that print management software investment is a big one. We take our partnership commitment seriously to help our customers gain that advantage. Together we create a plan with expectations and metrics for success, with transparency, through our end-to-end process focused on your success.
