The Evolution of Tharstern

The Evolution of Tharstern's
Print Management Information System

Keeping Core Objectives in Sight

Print Management Information Systems have been used since the mid 1980’s and were barely more than on-screen calculators. Using limited computer processing power they automated and organised some of the more mundane administrative tasks typically undertaken in the print shop.

In 1984, Estimating was revolutionised with the introduction of a system that could generate a quotation letter repetitively and without variation, at once condemning quote pads and hand-typed letters to history.

The then ‘awesome’ power of these machines was further demonstrated when a quotation, as old as three months, could be retrieved, reviewed and reprinted in mere minutes.

Gone were the hours spent rummaging through filing cabinets and manila folders, only to have to recalculate the quote anyway to address a change in the specification.

A Reservoir of Data

As the accessibility and processing power of hardware rapidly improved through the 1990’s, so did the sophistication of the software it could run.

Computerised systems came into common use for Job Costing, Purchasing Stock, Production Control and Finance. As each new department was conquered, the volume of manual (and by definition: time consuming) administration was further reduced to the growing relief of these early MIS pioneers.

The arduous task of physically gathering and assembling information for reporting was eliminated. Managers reveled in the seemingly endless possibilities of their new MIS and with the push of a button they began overworking their dot matrix printers, producing rivers of reports.

The Business of Print

It was at this time that a subtle but profound change was taking place in the printing industry. Printers, excited by all the emerging technologies and seduced by the promise of information, began to alter their established methods to better fit in with the regimes imposed by the MIS.

It seemed that MIS was no longer a tool designed to assist managers, but rather it became a prescribed business methodology demanding strict and absolute adherence to function.

A new emphasis developed: the primary focus shifted more to the effectiveness of the company; and secondly, the print manufacturing process. The sum of the equation produced a ‘form and function’ paradigm which is the basis of today’s contemporary printing company.

A Challenging Economy

The economic challenges of the 1990’s became the catapult for increased MIS sales. There was a dramatic increase in the adoption of MIS as the solutions became recognised as a necessity and not a luxury.

The earlier question of “why an MIS?” shifted to “which MIS?”

MIS developers were then further pitched into what has become an endless pursuit of research and development to establish product preference.

Core Objectives

In 2006 a Best Practice Study of MIS was undertaken by the Vision in Print ("ViP") forum in the UK. Partly funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, ViP sought to assess the ways in which printers used their internal system and to make recommendations as to best practice.

It was this study that acted as the catalyst for Tharstern to refocus our approach to our own products and our customers.

The outcome of the report was a revelation: almost all MIS users had reduced the use of their systems to little more than glorified administration systems. MIS developers were informed that our users were not nearly as advanced from the solutions of 20 years ago, as we had assumed.

Certainly there were many fundamental improvements in assistance with every day tasks but business owners were making very few strategic decisions based on data from their Management Information Systems.

The problem seemed to be that both the users and the developers of MIS had lost sight of why we invested in MIS in the first place.

The Tharstern Approach

Consequently, at Tharstern, we set about reminding ourselves of three basic principles that would affect the next generation of TharsternSQL^TM (’T4’).

1. Know the Customer

From the outset, we endeavour to understand the mechanics of your business: its similarities to other companies but more importantly, what makes you unique. This is the only way to tailor our offering to best fit the needs of your environment and it starts with the detailed disclosure of the scope of our solutions through to consultancy, implementation and then the support of ongoing development.

2. Train the System

We are firmly of the belief that the overall system is built for the customer and our TharsternSQL^TM MIS may only be one of many parts forming the overall solution.

Therefore TharsternSQL^TM may be better utilised in conjunction with one Accounting solution versus another; or it may be ideally positioned to deliver benefits through integration with other vendor products, either through JDF or API connectivity.

This commitment to participating in Best of Breed environments is at the very core of Tharstern’s interests in supporting users.

3. Data is NOT Information

In the past, a good MIS was judged on the volume of data it could generate for the user. However, MIS’s weren’t actually delivering the data in a manner that made it an everyday point of reference.

At Tharstern, we recognise that to be useful, data must be focused, concise and available at the point of use. This transforms data into information that can be used to make better and quicker decisions with a full appreciation of the current facts.

We addressed this in a number of initiatives in what is now T4, but more powerfully through the introduction of Executive Dashboards.