IT in the Shop and Office 8/9/2011 3:07:00 PM 
Most of us use IT (Information Technology) somewhere in our processes. What is IT’s purpose in our processes? IT is supposed to be used to make information gathering and dispensing more efficient, detailed and accurate so we can make better decisions and operate at a lower cost.
Since IT by definition is about information, it has been heavily used in offices to improve the handling of the information through offices, which typically have a lot of information flowing through them.
Where else can it make sense? Just about anywhere there is information. IT can be used in factories to track about anything and provide real time information on the processes. It has been used to track products through the manufacturing process allowing all involved to know the progress of the product and its estimated completion time based on trends in the process. This information can be made available in real time to anyone that is approved to monitor the process. This includes customer service so they can communicate with customers about ship dates and times with the most up to date information. IT can also track trends of rejected parts and efficiency in production or any other department. This can provide the information needed to quickly spot problems and correct them before they become bigger problems.
The key is to use IT to process the right information. Information overload can occur if too much data is tracked. We need to focus on the important data that will help us make better decisions. IT systems don’t know which information is important. We have to determine the important information and make sure the IT system is tracking the information we need.
Another problem is bad information. Information that is not accurate will only cause problems and bad decisions. It is just as important to collect accurate information as important information. Everyone that enters information into the system needs to be trained on entering correct information.
IT can be used in about any part of a business to improve our processes. So, when should it be used? Use IT to improve the processes when the return on investment will pay for itself in a reasonable time. This will vary depending on the type, amount and forecast of your business. Some have used IT systems to allow automation of much of their finishing process. The return on investment of this magnitude usually makes sense for larger finishers as costs can run into the millions of dollars.
IT will continue to be used increasingly in business and new applications for it will be found. This will allow us to become better at what we do if we use IT correctly.
