Part I: The Problem Softright is Designed to Fix
Throughout all of my years in this industry, I’ve always been looking for the next solution that I can offer my customers. In considering the ways in which businesses operate today, we at Keymark have focused on an area where we believe we can help – and we’re excited to launch our new program, Softright, to help you improve your business.
We’ve all seen it. As companies in the component industry have grown and prospered, their need for internal systems has grown out of necessity. Internal systems can encompass any aspect of the business process such as: sales backlog and pipeline, sales conversion to production orders, operations process documents, project initiation, resource planning and balancing, inventory management, project management, order fulfillment, AP and AR, and so forth. Business leaders need to track and update information continually. Leaders also wish to have visibility into their company and build internal monitoring systems.
Many internal systems have been home-grown, built using the most readily available and least expensive tools at our disposal. For example, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access have become staple tools in many businesses. Sometimes a business invests in third-party software such as Salesforce and, while that tool integrates with some of the business’ processes, other integration points remain a manual effort. In the component industry, this can include integration with automated machinery, back-end accounting systems, and so forth.
In most business operations, what begins as a simple system to address basic needs starts to grow legs as more and deeper questions are asked. Often the result is a system that functions but is far from ideal as data is passed from one spreadsheet to another, data is entered multiple times, and excess time is consumed unnecessarily. Typically, systems are in place that collect data and define processes. Some of these are manual, some are partially automated, but few are well-integrated and most perform sub-optimally. In such situations, there is significant opportunity for improved efficiency and cost savings derived from customized software development.
Keymark’s Softright team was built to help remedy inefficiencies in business processes through automation. The Softright team works with clients to analyze existing systems and identify opportunities to integrate data and processes. The result is customized software infrastructure that increases productivity, reduces costs, and generates more useful information.
The development process is the critical aspect of making the right software. Gone are the days of developing a long list of specifications, releasing a programming team to work for months on end, and not knowing what will come back until they are finished. Much more effective is an iterative process that includes the client as the subject-matter-expert. The development team, especially the project manager who is integrated with the team, becomes an expert at ‘translating’ the client’s needs into specific programming requirements. The client is actively involved in answering questions and refining the product as the software comes to life.
For more information about Keymark’s Softright team, contact me or Johnny Drozdek at sales@keymark.com or 303-443-8033.
Next month, Part II will explore a specific example of a solution provided by the Softright approach.