August
2002 Newsletter The Well-Oiled Machine Their Creative Services Department is responsible for producing the collateral, packaging and point-of-purchase materials for over forty divisions. Projects range from updating retail packaging to creating decals for the racing team. Various combinations of fifty people comprising eighteen groups of approvers are included in the routing of layouts. The old system utilized some handwritten forms and an Access database that evolved over the years on an as-needed basis with help from the IT Department. We were hired to streamline the systems and processes associated with producing the growing quantity and complexity of projects Creative Services takes on. Handwritten forms have been eliminated. Project information is input once into the database so that every form printed has the data relevant to that process. Theres even a hyper-formatted Microsoft Word Job Request form that can be emailed to clients around the world. Status exports to Excel are similarly shared. A Job can have dozens of Components with the same deadline yet different production schedules, so Component listings are automatically sorted by Release Date and printed on Job Jackets. Once youve checked off all the appropriate reviewers on the Master Approval Form, a single click brings up an email pre-addressed to them all, with the Job Number and Name in the Subject line. We even migrated data from the old system into a new Filemaker Archive file, minimizing the need to switch between systems during the transition. This system was launched five weeks ago, and has gotten rave reviews from users and management alike. We made a couple of minor adjustments along the way, but nothing that entailed interruption of service. For us, the perfect client: A relatively small team producing large numbers of projects with multiple elements on tight schedules. For Pennzoil-Quaker State, we hope our solution lives up to the slogan for their Jiffy Lube franchise: The Well-Oiled Machine. Personal
Fall Arrests Theyve used Filemaker to generate invoice, commission and inventory reports for over a decade. It started out simple, like most databases developed in-house. The system evolved under the stewardship of various administrators that made changes as sales, product lines and the company expanded. Certain database conventions were not followed, and keeping the system current was labor-intensive. A true real-time inventory solution was needed. More reporting options were desired. We couldnt identify a path to enhance the existing system in a way that would meet current objectives and future expansion possibilities like an online store. Building a system from the ground up was an option, but we went looking for invoice/inventory templates, and ultimately saved a lot of time and money. The best templates provide basic features that can be built upon. This client needed multi-tiered pricing, editable product descriptions at the invoice level and other unique capabilities. Templates that included these features would seem cluttered if you didnt need them. We enhanced them accordingly and imported data from the old system. The client cleaned up the data. We were on the inventory team the Saturday before launch.. And its going great. Nearly 400 invoices for 1,100 items were created in the first 3 weeks. Weve spent a few hours making adjustments and enhancements, with virtually no interruption of service. Hey, just give us a call when youre ready to control your world. Do good work and stay in touch. <Previous Issue Subscribe Next Issue>
|
||