MCPc Blog

5-Step Printing Assessment, Step 2: Crunch the Numbers

After you’ve gathered the current-state analysis data for your Imaging & Printing Assessment, the next step is to crunch the numbers. This is typically the longest phase of the assessment process, and often the point where many assessments break down.

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to provide your managers, and the organization as a whole, with an accurate portrayal of the current state of your print environment. It must be easy to understand and it must be action-oriented.

Organize Your Data

There’s a great deal of data to wrangle during this phase. These four tools will help you stay organized throughout the process:

1. A master spreadsheet for your data.
2. A master repository for your data (online portals like Microsoft SharePoint are great resources for this).
3. A checklist of all the data you need to collect.
4. A spreadsheet to track your high-level spend buckets. I call this the “rough analysis tracking” spreadsheet. Your raw data reports may not all be in the same format, which may cause you to crunch the numbers differently. Normalize and copy your high-level findings to this spreadsheet.

There is a lot of raw data to incorporate into the master spreadsheet, so expect to make a few revisions. A good formula to measure and compare costs within the spreadsheet is the cost-per-page — the sum of all your costs divided by the sum of all your pages. Click here to download a sample calculator in Excel.

Some of the formulas you’ll need to run are very basic. For example, say a toner cartridge costs you $100 and has a manufacturer rated yield of 10,000 pages. $100 / 10,000 = $0.01 per page. Simple math. But, others are more complex. For example, some printers have high- and low-yield cartridge options. Let’s say your organization has purchased ten high-yield and seven low-yield cartridges. The yield-per-page math still works on a per-cartridge basis, however you also need to attribute the different cost structures to the devices and departments who made these purchases.

Remember your spend buckets — organize as much data as you can by copier, printer, and fax machine.

Consider Third-Party Print Assessment Software

As I mentioned above, the number-crunching phase is where many print assessments break down. A trained eye for the details and specialized software tools can be decisive factors for success. This is where partner organizations that specialize in assessments can be valuable assets. They know what numbers to crunch, have the right software tools, and can provide expert perspective on the raw data.

Though these specialized tools are usually fee-based, and often require technical certifications to administer, the good news is they are very effective and typically include reports that can be automatically generated. Most have a built-in database of print and copy devices with the associated toner, maintenance, and service information. In many cases all you need to input are your specific costs. Typically, these tools also can automatically discover network-connected print and copy devices by pinging a specific range of IP addresses.

In short, they make the number-crunching phase a lot easier. If you lack access to the software tools to complete an assessment, consider collaborating with a partner organization.

The Role of Your Floor Plan in a Printing Assessment

Your building floor plans are fantastic visual references that support your current and future-state analyses with practical details that can’t be captured in a spreadsheet. For example, let’s say your department is physically split by a wall, or the doors for one department are secured and cannot be accessed by people in the neighboring department. In this situation, you’re going to need two devices, no matter what your spreadsheet says or how much you want to consolidate.

Here are some tips to help you organize the information on your floor plans.

1. Color code by technology (print, copy, fax, multifunction).
2. Draw as close to scale as possible so devices aren’t oversized or undersized on the map.
3. Thoroughly label everything (device name, department name, queue name, IP address, etc.) .
4. Create symbols to indicate special features or capabilities (scan, stable, booklet, stitch, etc.).
5. Create a map key that appropriately describes the map.

 

Presenting Your Findings to Internal Stakeholders

Once you crunch the numbers and finalize your current-state analysis, double check to make sure it’s accurate, and be prepared to defend it to your managers and others in the organization – they will likely meet your report with initial skepticism and plenty of questions.

Here are a few examples of typical reactions to a current-state analysis for which you will want to prepare:

1. There is no way we spend that much money on “fill in the blank”!
2. Are you sure?  Where did you get your information?
3. That seems like a lot of money. How does it compare to other companies in our industry?
4. Who authorizes all these purchases?
5. Now that we have this information, what can we do to reduce our spend?
6. Our department isn’t responsible for the budget; you will have to inform “someone else.”
7. That’s good information to know, but it’s up to each department to individually make the appropriate adjustments.

When addressing these questions, keep in mind that you need allies to buy into this project. Approaching internal stakeholders with a vetted current-state analysis, a sense of diplomacy, and clear ideas for an action plan will be critical for developing an effective future-state analysis and recommendations. This starts with validating your findings, which I’ll discuss in tomorrow’s post.

 

5-Step Printing Assessment Series:

1. Gather the Data

2. Crunch the Numbers

3. Validate Your Findings

4. Build Final Deliverables

5. Implementation

 

Jeffrey Goldstein is Senior Consultant at MCPc and is responsible for the delivery of hardcopy and value-added services within the Lifecycle Management Group. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.