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Software vendors suffer from a certain sense of tunnel vision or not-invented-here syndrome which drives them to propose the wrong solution for a specific problem. In the marketing terminology of software vendors, the word “Solution” is often used as an alternative for a product or a technology. That confuses the customer as they truly see that product or technology as THE solution to their problem. It’s a misconception triggered by the vendor, but enforced by the customer who wants a quick fix, an easy way out. So the customer also has a part of responsibility in this as, at least in our experience, the software is over-simplified and undervalued. It’s just SOFTware you know.
At Four Pees, we believe software never stands alone. It integrates in a process with other software, machinery and most importantly…people. In order to even be capable of suggesting a solution, one has to have a thorough understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve. That is often where things go wrong at the very start. The customer’s definition of the problem or the need is frequently something like, “I want to do web-to-print!” or “Can you automate my production?”. While the easy answer would be just “Yes”, our answer tends to be “That depends”. We enter into a discussion with the customer, which leads to a more in-depth analysis of what we’re trying to solve and ultimately a specification of what we’re going to implement and how. Depending on whether the customer has the appropriate resources in-house they can do the analysis and specification or we can, but it is essential in making a software implementation a success. If we feel we’re not capable of providing the right solution, we’ll walk away or refer the customer a colleague. Once we do get started, proper project management during the implementation to avoid or at least manage feature creep and change requests is equally essential. And then depending on the impact the implementation has on the working habits of the employees proper training and potentially change management will also be required. We can obviously debate about the details of how to manage a project, but the problem is that with the purchase and implementation of software, the entire project management is overlooked either by the customer or by the vendor or by both. And if you don’t know what you’re trying to solve, if you don’t know what the expectations are, it is very hard to hit the target.

Now that does not mean that there is never a quick fix. Just as a single screw can sometimes fix a machine, a simple software tool can provide a solution to a very specific problem. However, it would be a mistake to generalize that for just about any software implementation and that is unfortunately too often the case. There still is a perverse line of thinking in our industry that you’re better of spending a couple of grand on a new machine to increase production capacity or optimize your production rather than to look at the process before that for half or even an equal amount of money.

We implement print automation from A – Z
Reimagine your print production. At Four Pees, we help print operations succeed by implementing hassle-free automation. Not only will it make your work easier, but your print organization will thrive. We provide solutions to streamline the entire print and packaging production. Whether it is with advice, a software product or a seamlessly integrated solution from ideation, design and customization all the way up to fully automated production.

Four Pees, feel the good flow.