The tailor-made Job Tracking software systems used by some of the country’s largest retailers are the largest and most complex offered by Hirt & Carter. With hundreds of users, they allow centralized briefing of one (or more than one) agency, show clearly and concisely what jobs are in the system, where they are, who is responsible for the next step, and when.
They help solve control issues by providing a centralized information, briefing and tracking system; they relieve the marketers of any need to become involved in the technicalities of production once they have signed off final proofs at the agency, and provide systems software and a centralized information/artwork repository used both by agencies and the printers.
Very briefly, the system:
- Provides a common, centralized, communication and briefing platform for everyone involved – the marketers, the agency or agencies, the production controllers, the printers and importantly, the stakeholders for whom the work is being carried out;
- Allows marketers to set up critical paths for each job, driven by a customizable Promotional Calendar;
- Is proactive and prompts users to carry out specific tasks;
- Displays planned and actual deadlines at a glance;
- Provides early warning “exception reports” when deadlines are missed;
- Allows marketers to see the work of multiple agencies (if required), but does not allow any agency to see opposition work;
- Stores all creative work, design elements and final material in a central repository, from which it is copied as required;
- Allows users to see what is coming down the road, and where their specific jobs are.
The system incorporates modules to:
- Open a job;
- Store briefs and all amendment instructions;
- Traffic all activities on all jobs;
- Provide a variety of reports to for Status meetings, etc. These reports include “shock” reports, CPAs and loading predictions;
- Construct, submit and approve Cost Estimates;
- Issue orders, reconcile supplier invoices and highlight discrepancies;
- Record all time spent, analysed by Job, product, person, etc.;
- Track delivery instructions and record Proof of Delivery;
- Track budget vs actual spend, and analyse any variances;
- Provide an extensive set of management reports.
- Incorporate an internal mail system that can also link to external email, and to an SMS facility. This means that all changes, approval etc are notified to those involved the instant they are made, and even those who happen not to be logged into the system can be kept up-to-date via their normal mail or an SMS message
- It also incorporates a soft-proofing facility (using PDFs) that allows rapid sign-off of urgent material, and minimises costs during the approval process.
- All activities on every job are logged and reports are available for any subsequent analysis.
- All comments are preserved within the internal mail system, together with time of approval, and so on. It is very easy to determine exactly where a project is, who has to action what, and who said what.
Status reports are ‘real time’, and can be drawn on a minute-to-minute basis if required. Everyone works off a common server that updates automatically.
- The system keeps a complete record of all decisions and changes
- The system can be linked to sales results for ROI analysis
- Proof of delivery can be integrated with control systems.