How to Measure Human Productivity in Prepress

You've got the latest software and hardware, and the most efficient prepress workflow system on the market, yet proofs still seem to be taking too long to get out and jobs continue piling up on a regular basis. Short of hiring an additional operator at $30-50,000 per year, what can you do to increase throughput in prepress? You can unearth the number one hidden source of additional billable hours: human productivity at the computer.

The "Click Factor"
Unlike presses, folders and stitchers, where you can count "clicks" to monitor output and productivity, you can't easily count the mouse clicks made by a prepress operator. (Any innovators out there want to jump on this one?) If you could count clicks, you'd be aiming for the least amount of clicks necessary to complete each job to achieve ultimate efficiency. But alas, watch your prepress operators clicking away at the computer—are they guessing their way through menus or really getting jobs done as efficiently as possible?

A survey taken at several seminars at Graph Expo 2006 revealed that 86% of graphics and prepress software users admitted spending up to an hour each day trying to figure out how to do or fix something in a file. If you saw a press operator scratching their head for an hour each day, what would you do?

Step 1: Evaluate current staff
Online software skills assessment is the easiest and least expensive way to objectively determine if your staff has the knowledge to work efficiently at the computer. First, you must obtain their buy-in for this process and they must see the benefits in the form of less frustration, greater job satisfaction and more confidence in the quality their work. According to Joanne Sujansky, Ph.D., founder of KeyGroup, a leading workplace productivity firm, when employees know their productivity is being measured and they've had a hand in creating the metric, their productivity rises over time. "Sit down with employees and hammer out goals together," Sujansky suggests.

To evaluate a prepress operator's efficiency in programs such as Adobe® Creative Suite®, QuarkXPress®, Adobe® Acrobat®, Mac OS®X, Enfocus PitStop Professional, and Creo Preps®, the most widely used online training site in the printing industry is Prepress Training Solution (www.prepresstraining.com). In addition, New Horizons Computer Learning Center (www.newhorizons.com) offers pre-test assessments in popular graphics software packages including Quark and Adobe. Custom skills assessment and exam development is also available from Aquent Graphics Institute (www.agitraining.com).

Step 2: Fill in the cracks
Once you've identified the weak spots in each person's knowledge toolbox, set aside the time to bring them up to speed. There are numerous training and education options, even for busy and cash-strapped printing companies.

If your company fails to execute Step 2, it will likely be for the following reason: Management failed to carve out time in the production schedule for training. (It won't be due to cost—comprehensive training licenses are available for $300 per year or less, including assessment.) While most printers schedule time for routine press maintenance, only the most profitable ones set aside time to keep their people running efficiently. To be more profitable, your company can choose to mirror the profit leaders and schedule training just as you would schedule a live job or press maintenance. Otherwise, training won't get done. The best way to ensure that the learning process is not interrupted by a rush job or an overly aggressive production schedule is to make training available at an offsite location, off hours, or during downtime.

Step 3: Measure productivity and knowledge gains
While not as straightforward as measuring press output, there are prepress metrics you can monitor to track productivity gains, including: billable hours completed per day, time spent per job, preflighting time per page, time spent correcting files after the first proof has been submitted (prepress errors/rework), number of plate remakes due to prepress error, and press downtime due to prepress rework. These metrics can be monitored for each employee and for the entire department. Dr. Sujansky advises, "Put systems in place for measuring productivity and live by them. Remember this mantra: what gets measured gets done."

To measure knowledge gains, post-training assessments are available with many online training programs, and tests are often available for classroom training. At Prepress Training Solution, the current average pre-test score is 53% and the average post-test score is 84%. The average person takes the post-test two times before passing at 70% or higher. Employees want to know how much they've improved as much as you want to track the profitability of any investment in equipment and training.

Step 4: Repeat
You wouldn't see a doctor who's a bit out of practice or fly with a pilot who isn't current, so how can you expect your customers to trust your expertise without ongoing education in the latest techniques? People need refreshers to stay efficient. And nothing can turn a customer off faster than a prepress technician who doesn't know the answer to what they perceive should be a simple question—aren't you the expert? Every year, go back to the beginning and start with evaluation and goal setting. In addition to reaping the gains of greater human productivity in the prepress department, you'll see happier employees and more satisfied customers, too.

By Debbie Goodman, President of Brain Cable Inc., a provider of online training for the printing and publishing industry. You can reach Debbie at dgoodman@braincable.com.