6 Steps to Print MIS Software Success

You’ve heard the adage “it’s not rocket science” so many times, yet implementing major new software, such as a Print MIS system, throughout your company can sometimes feel like it. Preparation and communication before decisions are made is very important – if anyone feels left out or misunderstood, acceptance and enthusiasm can quickly dissipate.

Resistance to change is a natural human instinct, but one that can quickly derail the best intentioned project. If your team isn’t on board, the chances of failure are high. It is important to encourage everybody to participate and be openly accountable throughout the entire process. By following these steps, you can help solidify your team and guide them through the process of reevaluating the way jobs run through your shop:

1. Define and articulate the vision of what you are trying to achieve for your business. Begin the venture with an explanation of why you want to change the way things are done. Provide specific examples and keep the conversation going. By focusing on the strategy, and desired outcomes, you will help people understand the bigger picture, and the reasons for the changes you are going to ask them to make.

2. Analyze your current processes at every step throughout your shop’s workflow.  This is the time to utilize your team’s knowledge of their positions, and show them that their involvement in the process is key to success. Sit your team down and work through typical job workflows and elicit suggestions of how things could be done better. This collaborative approach can pay dividends down the road.

3. Create clear and measurable objectives that you want to see as a result. Think about your workflow and the types of jobs you run. How fast do you turn jobs around? How many touches does a typical job take? What does this mean for your costs of production? Are you running some types of jobs at a loss? What kind of benchmarks should you use to quantify improvements? What kind of timeline is appropriate for your organization?

4. Appoint a project leader to not only drive implementation of the software, but also the change in peoples’ habits and actions. This isn’t a technology role, but a business role, so make sure they have a broad understanding of your entire operation and is a leader, since they will need to convince others that this is the right thing for everyone. They will need to be able to clearly communicate the strategy, listen to others, and inspire them to be part of the process.  

5. Be proactive throughout the implementation process. Set clear deadlines, make sure everyone involved has a set of learning and implementation tasks assigned to perform. Run weekly project meetings with your project leader and team to ensure deadlines are reached.

6. Don’t wait for 100% perfection before going live with your system. You know from past experience that you can conduct business with a less than perfect system. Wrinkles will still need to be ironed out and other things will only come up once you start working in a real-life environment. This is normal and should be built into your planning, expectations, and timelines.

Implementing something as disruptive as a new MIS system across your entire shop is not something to be taken lightly, but if you get your team on board, across the entire company, and set clear and actionable goals for success, it should become a whole lot easier. For personalized advice on how our print MIS system can benefit your workflow, visit PressWise by SmartSoft (Booth 2384).