Sales vs. Production . . .
. . . I think that the Production gripe stems from the "be careful what you wish for" part of the previous post. The "totally web based transparent system with bar codes for work processes", etc. vs. the "respond in a heartbeat to some finicky designer or marketing persons ridiculous requests" is the battle. It is Prepress that has to de-code the bits & pieces of variance inherent in any job. And, put up with the psyche-numbing perception that their skills can be easily replaced by a "simple" web-based system.
In a perfect LEAN environment, every job could/would be pigeon-holed into a narrowly-defined end-product. With time & materials being used in a squeakily efficient manner . . .
Then the Salesperson's opposite-number would also be the "chimp in a suit" that could be trusted to fill out the job order/request online & the Salesperson's commission/bonus would be paid, oh, so quickly.
Oftentimes, it just seems that a Salesperson will toss a brownpaper bag full of jigsaw puzzle pieces on the table & expect it to be produced next day. And to a Prepress person, the potential for missing & ill-shaped pieces is the norm - and the questions cannot be answered by a "layperson".
Obviously, Sales brings in the paying (hopefully) jobs, and the Prepress folks do not (hopefully) have to deal extensively with clients. But, a little cross-pollination of skills & understanding between Sales & Production is necessary, because Sales (& print buyers) - you know you want to be the hero in the suit that "got the job done in no time". Not the dreary solver of problems, with the Golden Gate Bridge stretching before you, in need of paint (again) . . .
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