Hi,

I've just been discussing our work process with my colleague and we've been saying that we need some kind of IT system to stream line the different elements we have to get things more efficient. That is an obvious need for any business, I know.

Now that the number of projects are increasing, we require an online tool for making our lives easier.

At the moment this is how we work:

We have 2 excel spredsheets with the data for

1) Potential clients - includes name, email, tel, dates contacted etc
2) Card game details - includes name, confirmed sponsor, description of card and any updates for that card etc

Both my colleague and myself have a different list of clients that means we have 3 spreadsheets in use with number 2 being used to communicate to our Illustrator.

So once our illustrator does a sketch of each illustration the sponsor gets an opportunity to review and request a new design ...we feedback to illustrator and a new sketch is drawn until the sponsor is happy. Then the illustrator colours it in and used the information on the 2nd spreadsheet to create the card ready for printing - the sponsor authorises the final design and the printers then receive all the cards for printing.

It is a very very tedious method and I'm looking for input from programmers or software designers or IT gurus (anyone! with the knowhow) to advise on the best online system to use.

I appreciate that my requirements will have to be personalised to suit the business directly.

Can anyone guide me towards what else I need to bear in mind.

What i want is for the following to have access to this system

1) Illustrator,
2) Staff in the business
3) Clients
4) Printers

The system would preferably be done remotely so that it can be accessed by the different locations e.g Illustrator is based in Canada and another in the UK etc

Before I venture off to the tenders section, what sort of costs would this entail and which companies are the best to help with this sort of thing. Any recommendations?

Also what are your experiences with streamlining work and how did you solve these challenges in your business.

I would sincerely appreciate your input in this matter as it's getting to the poin where we are maturing as a business and really would like to be utilising our time more efficiently.

Thanks
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If it's just data you're managing, a simple online database customised to your requirements would be my suggestion.

Either PHP or ASP will do the job you're asking, and any competent programmer should be able to knock something up for you within a few days.

As for cost, you pay for what you get in this industry. Don't just take into account the time it takes to produce, but keep in mind a price for maintenance and support/documentation for using it.

Your prices (when you submit it to the tender section) will likely range from a few hundred, up to close to a thousand.

If you're wanting the system to look snazzy (designed well) that'll be extra too - as usually a programmer isn't a designer as well!
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Hello. I must admit when I first saw your query, I thought it was just asking for advice on how to demonstrate your learning card system on the net. I was going to suggest contacting the webmaster at somewhere like gtchild dot co dot uk (sorry, not allowed to post URL as yet)
However looking at your website, you probably already have this covered.
Looking more closely at your entry, I think you're seeking a combination of a content management system and a Release Management system that can be administered over the web. Obviously you can google for various applications that offer these facilities. My inclination would be to look into Microsoft Sharepoint (I'm not always a fan of Microsoft software btw!) to begin with. You will certainly be able to grant access to users in different locations (I've used this myself in a global company). The best thing I found about Sharepoint is it doesn't have a steep learning curve. You can look up details on their website easily enough.
Of course if you feel that something is missing with this tool, you can always google other cms (content management systems), for example Drupal. One last point I would like to make is, try to choose one that is widely used. You will usually then find it has a dedicated user forum, so if you have to make bespoke changes or use the system in an unusual way, you will have access to fellow developers and coding tips and techiques.

Hope I've made sense!
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Hi Eiman,

I think it's using stuff like you propose above that give us smaller firms an edge over the big guys. We use technology wherever we can to improve efficiency and automate anything that's automatable

I'd say you're looking at a minimum of ?k, quite possibly double. I used to develop bespoke systems like that before KashFlow took over my life.

You need to speak to Gary at Creospace, he's got lots of experience building systems like that and would be able to give you a more accurate ballpark so you can decide if it's worth pursuing the a full spec an quote.
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Thanks guys for your input.

Duane - Gary is currently doing a simple website for me at the mo. So hopefully will chat to him about this important step towards streamlining all the major elements of our business in a week or so.

I suppose I'll have to stick with what we've got until we've completed the 3 tandem projects we have going.

I think ?k is quote a lot but if that's what it is then that means I'll have to look into raising the funds for it somehow. !?!
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I could be way off on the price. But seeing as noone else had yet answered that question I thought I'd atleast give some idea as a starting point for others to comment on. I've deliberatly made it on the high side to prepare you.... managing expectaions and all that.

Hopefully others will tell me I'm talking rubbish and it could be done for a lot less.
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I could be way off on the price. But seeing as noone else had yet answered that question I thought I'd atleast give some idea as a starting point for others to comment on. I've deliberatly made it on the high side to prepare you.... managing expectaions and all that.

Hopefully others will tell me I'm talking rubbish and it could be done for a lot less.

I completely agree with you and you are right to aim high. It certainly helps to place a quality element into the price and that's what I would expect.

Your Kashflow is great imo as a perfect example of a well oiled machine! Doing everything remotely for businesses. This is the sort of thing I suppose I'm talking about, something online so that staff can work from to do the sales and marketing part of the project (contacting potential clients and keeping tabs of who has been contacted and which career cards need sponsors for)

I would love to have something online within the next couple of months hopefully so that the number of projects we achieve are more than double what we currently are going through.
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you could use google docs as a spreadsheet(s) which would give you all access you need from anywhere. If you want to be organised then take a look at http://www.basecamphq.com/ which has a free entry level and small subscription based levels as you grow. Dont re-invent the wheel!
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You need to speak to Gary at Creospace, he's got lots of experience building systems like that and would be able to give you a more accurate ballpark so you can decide if it's worth pursuing the a full spec an quote.

Thanks Duane, yep certainly up our street. Do get in touch , you know where we are :)
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you could use google docs as a spreadsheet(s) which would give you all access you need from anywhere. If you want to be organised then take a look at basecamphq which has a free entry level and small subscription based levels as you grow. Dont re-invent the wheel!

Ah - looks like a free alternative to the Sharepoint I suggested (which in turn would be far cheaper than getting a bespoke website written for this purpose). Looks the best option imho for what you're after. As GaryK states, if there's a cheap or free option that does the job you need, take it. If you want to keep using Excel sheets however (remember that you can always migrate your data into Google docs), use Sharepoint and upload your docs onto that.

Btw, a good way to compare applications from users' perspectives is to search on the web using the word "versus". In this example google "sharepoint versus basecamphq"
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I could put something together for you if you fancy a chat? All i'll need would be a specification for the work, and i'll give you a quote for the work :-)
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Hola Eiman,

This is the type of work we do - love it! Give me a call for a quick chat to clarify your requirements. I am happy to give you an estimate for an agreed solution.

Regards,

MG
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you could use google docs as a spreadsheet(s) which would give you all access you need from anywhere. If you want to be organised then take a look at http://www.basecamphq.com/ which has a free entry level and small subscription based levels as you grow. Dont re-invent the wheel!

Thanks all for your offers but I've decided to try Basecamp for now...I'm now enrolled with them. It's really a brilliant tool.
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BaseCamp is a cool collaboration solution to be honest, especially for the cost. Good luck!
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There are loads of systems out there.

So start with base camp and learn what it can do. If it is not perfect then google for something like better than base camp.

There is no way that you want your own system developed.

What you might want is to buy in some advice on which proprietry system you should use. But that is a different type of thing.
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