Morris Wallack Director, Presales support; HP Imaging and Printing Americas

"Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?" asked Alice.
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get," said the Cat.
"I really don't care where" replied Alice.
"Then it doesn't much matter which way you go," said the Cat.

- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), novelist and poet (1832-1898).

I like the quote in the title of this post because it helps me think about Managed Print Services (MPS) and how having a plan, and executing it over time, can make a difference for large organizations trying to get their arms around their printing costs, control processes and manage print/copy/fax and scan assets.

Let’s get one thing out of the way right here and now: MPS, or any service for that matter, is a means to an end. It’s not the thing we or anyone else likely lives for. See wikipedia for the meaning of life.

In my last post on “How do you define MPS?”, I defined MPS as “the management of devices, processes, people and technology to deliver a set of defined user experiences related to print/copy/fax/scan within an enterprise”.

So if MPS is a means to an end, what’s the end? That’s the crux of the matter and one of the challenges many enterprises face when embarking on any print improvement initiative. In my experience, I see companies latch onto MPS as a panacea, a “quick fix” or as an alternative way to buy printers and copiers to save money. Oftentimes there’s not a clear connection to the business or where MPS fits into anyone’s plan. In fact, saving money or reducing costs should be considered an “ante” to the game…the question is –what are the other objectives? How would you figure that out?

Planning for an MPS project to be successful means thinking about the long term expectations and requirements for the company. I like HP’s three pillar framework that suggests that customers think about their output environments in three categories: optimize infrastructure, manage the environment, and improve workflow. In addition, they’ve developed a nifty little “Print 2.0 planner” that can help someone start the thought process for building a plan.

Here’s my 6-step approach to moving from “unmanaged” to something “managed” in the print/copy space:

1. Define clear sponsorship of the project with full organizational alignment across key stakeholder groups. Usually the ownership of printer and copier resources falls in multiple teams so clarify who’s going to lead on the project. Is there clear executive leadership who supports the change, and alignment on goals?
2. Define scope of project and goals/metrics. Scope includes defining what’s in/out. For example, network printers, copiers, personal printers? What about copy centers? What about trying to go paperless or workflow and scanning initiatives? Metrics are critical to know what strategic choices to make, how fast to drive the implementation, and what’s important to different stakeholders. How will your partners define success?
3. Get a baseline of information to make the plan. Costs (easier said than done), device inventories, page volumes, key applications, end-user needs. These are the basis for building future models as well as calculating TCO (total cost of ownership). The baseline also is critical to measure progress once implementation has begun.
4. Build a strategy around the three pillars (or another framework – as long as it’s robust and more than just product selection) – figure out the mix of priorities:
1. Cost savings and performance improvements based on a consolidated optimized print infrastructure (usually via consolidation and right-sizing the fleet)
2. Improved manageability (typically via putting all devices on the network, deploying network management tools, and finding ways to track volumes, usage and needs)
3. Improving workflow (where can paper be eliminated in total? How can processes be improved or sped up by deploying networked scanning technology? Are there ways to make the system more secure for users, the company and our customers?)
5. Test the strategy with key stakeholders and iterate – will this work for IT? What about finance? Where will the lines of business (LOB) support these strategies? Without this iteration, implementation could be challenged. With it, you’ll be on the path to getting faster implementation with better success.
6. Build an implementation plan that paces/phases activities based on key metrics or low-hanging fruit. Look for early wins, identify groups supportive of change, and identify sequences required to ensure success. For example, implement network based MFPs to consolidate printers and copiers before changing workflow processes regarding moving faxes to electronic alternatives like scan-to-email or LAN fax solutions. Be practical. Don’t boil the ocean (if you want to know what that takes, see this Fast Company article).

In many accounts that I work with, the process looks more like steps 3 and 6 without sponsorship and alignment (skipping steps 1 and 2 and skipping over steps 4 and 5). The value of steps 4 and 5 comes in the dialog within the company that it creates. Per the title of this post, the value comes from the planning process – and the alignment and understanding it drives, much more so than a written plan that may come out of the process. In fact, HP has a Print 2.0 workshop process designed to help companies build an output strategy following the 6 major steps above.

How about you? What’s been your experience? Are you engaging in MPS projects with a full strategy? What’s working for you? What are your challenges? Let me know by using the comment link below.

Technorati tags: enterprise printing, edgeline, edgeline technology, hp, Hewlett Packard, multi-function printer , MFP, Managed print services, copiers, copying