Compuscript

7 . Lessons Learnt

There were a number of lessons learnt by Lyons and his team:

• Undertake research - Compuscript undertook a lot of research on vendors and solutions before going selecting Penta. A lot of the vendors would promise functionality but then not be able to deliver on that promise when put to the test. Compuscript had clear test criteria developed based on the specific functionality they required. Vendors were asked to demonstrate this functionality with live material where possible as opposed to simply excepting bland sales propaganda. Compuscript met with a number of vendors (of both bespoke and off the shelf systems) and got to a point where they could tell pretty quickly if the system would meet their requirements. Often this process was enlightening for the vendor as it highlighted strengths and weaknesses which they had not
  previously associated with their products. It is important to know what you want, what your business requirements are and be able to succinctly put those to a vendor to see if their system has the required functionality. “We knew what we wanted and could tell very quickly if a vendor was able to meet our requirements”, commented Lyons
  
• Watch the costs – The cost of software and development is high. The Celtic Tiger of the late 1990’s resulted in demand far exceeding supply for IT resources. Even today’s companies are still paying massive development bills. All projects must have a beneficial return on the bottom line and should be subject to a clear cost / benefit analysis. Often, rather than using an external developer, it may be worth actually employing a developer in-house. Not only does this keep the knowledge in-house once the project has finished but it allows for greater flexibility during the development process and a greater sense of ownership to the developer.
  
• Think about vendors outside Ireland – Today’s systems and communications infrastructure make it easier to work with foreign vendors – even those on the other side of the world. That said, it should be noted that, while quotations will often be far less than those from local suppliers, the actual cost in terms of project management time can be high, especially where language or cultural differences exist. One has to research potential suppliers carefully. Often it is best to start off with a small project and see how the relationship develops.
  

8 . Future Plans

Development of both the CTMS and the typesetting system are ongoing:

• System Updates - It is likely that the CTMS database will be updated to Oracle as there are limitations to mySQL.
  
• Expansion of outsourced work – Compuscript itself is planning to expand the level of labour intensive work outsourced. New suppliers will be linked directly into the CTMS via a VPN. Productivity can be controlled and monitored from Shannon and all staff members will have access to the same system. This again will allow Compuscript to add further services and guarantee competitive pricing for its clients.