In Part I of this series we discussed the value of involving everyone in the fixture design and production process early on-and the need for allowing ample lead time. This month we focus on the role of communication in continuing effective project management.

E-Mail

Thanks to technology, our means of communication have changed tremendously in recent years. Now instead of memos and phone calls, e-mail appears to be the preferred method of communication in project management. Fixture manufacturer Design Fabricators has all the 'tech toys,' such as cell phones and pagers, but the company finds that clients and employees prefer e-mail. "(E-mail) provides a savable electronic file that clearly documents communication throughout the job, including change-orders," says Mark Sagrillo, the company's president. "The industry standard is MS Office Suite, which includes Outlook, Word, and Excel," he notes. "When everyone is using the same software, it's easy to attach files and share information."

Communication advancements

Sam Suss, operating owner of Suss Woodcraft, takes e-mail one step farther in streamlining the fixture development process. His company uses e-mail to send AutoCAD documents back and forth to the customer. "AutoCAD is the preferred drawing program in the industry; anyone with the software can accept a TIF file via e-mail and take a look at a design," says Suss. For clients or vendors that need to view the actual CAD file, the internet provides easy access to downloadable CAD viewers. Soon Suss' clients may even be able to view their attached fixture design in three dimensions. "We're experimenting with 3-D modeling programs that will enable the client to open the file and then view and rotate it for the full effect."

In addition to e-mailing CAD files, John Dlugosh, vice president of Dlugosh Cabinet & Fixture, says his company is set up to post CAD documents to an ftp server, and project participants can then hold an "online meeting" over the Internet to discuss and review. Using AutoDesk's Volo View, meeting participants simply download a viewer, and each is assigned a different on-screen marker color to annotate, question, and comment on the drawing, all in "real time."

Similarly, intranets (password-protected networks linking businesses involved in the same project) offer project managers another way to share real-time information about a project any time. Leggett & Platt, the parent company of Design Fabricators, is developing an Intranet for all of its branches that will most likely be shared with the company's clients. Says Sagrillo, "Communication is the most important part of any business relationship. Not only sharing information, but the expediency with which it is done. An Intranet will be the next level in speeding up the process, as well as enabling us to share information in a whole new format, with a high level of security."

Constant communication

Technology aside, project management ultimately relies on personal communication and a solid understanding of manufacturing timelines. Store planners need to be clear and explicit about their goals at the beginning of the process. Timely communication in asking and answering questions throughout the design/manufacturing cycle can avoid production delays-as does sharing changes in scheduling, quarterly projections, or design plans as soon as the information is available. If for some reason the project is not going as planned, letting the fixture manufacturer know as early as possible makes it possible for the company to make corrections and changes sooner rather than later.

We work in a fast-paced world where business strategies change constantly. Still, the more a store planner can get consensus early, plan far enough ahead to allow for ample lead time, and communicate changes when they occur, the smoother the process will be-and the better the project results.