Your Creative Solution - Print Audit Principles

CLIENT
PRINT AUDIT
PRINCIPLES
IMPROVING YOUR PRINT
ORDERING PROCESS

OUR PRINT AUDIT
ESTABLISHES
A THOROUGH
UNDERSTANDING
OF METHODS USED
IN THE PROCESS OF
PURCHASING AND
MANAGING PRINT
THROUGHOUT YOUR
BUSINESS.

REASONS FOR AUDIT
The information gathered from our audit is analysed and reported back with
suggestions and recommendations to deliver improved processes and cost savings.
The reason for conducting the audit is to establish whether the implementation of a
print management solution will deliver tangible benefits to your business. This can only
be achieved by undertaking a thorough investigation of business needs, processes,
consumption and specification analysis.
THE KEY PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING
THE AUDIT:
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Identify current methods for print procurement
Identify current method for storage, distribution and management of print
Measure the cost and effectiveness of current methodology
Identify obsolete or over ordered material
Highlight areas of duplication
Understand the relationship between the printed products and the processes
they are used in
Identify both direct and indirect benefits
AUDIT OBJECTIVES
It is important that our audit has clear objectives within each area of investigation,
which are agreed beforehand. As a general rule, the audit will focus upon six key areas
for maximum benefit:
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Cost reduction
Process improvement
Risk mitigation
Control and accountability
Control of brand identity and assets
Environmental considerations

COST REDUCTION
DIRECT COST REDUCTION
Our audit will seek to identify areas where reductions in the cost of printed materials
used within your business can be achieved. Through a review of the current
procurement methods and by assessing the current cost base versus the wider
print market we will look to identify direct cost savings. At the same time product
specifications will be challenged to establish if they are fit for purpose.
INDIRECT COST REDUCTION
The indirect costs that are incurred managing and organising print within a business
can be significant. Typical areas that can lead to inefficiency include personnel,
procedures, systems, obsolescence, processes and print usage.
Our audit will ascertain where the opportunities are to make improvements that will
reduce the indirect costs. The following areas will be covered to maximise
the opportunities for indirect cost reduction:
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Identify the business processes in which printed materials play a key role
Identify opportunities for product improvement, amalgamation
and rationalisation
Assess the efficiency of the supply chain
Measure the amount of resource currently used to purchase and
manage print
These identify where cost savings can be made through greater efficiency by realising
the benefits of an improved business process.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
The audit will seek to identify ways in which internal processes can be improved,
resulting in additional value for your business. There are many ways in which this can
be achieved but the main areas of focus are:
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
A diverse range of printed materials inevitably means that products will be sourced
from a number of different suppliers. The audit will identify the optimum number
of suppliers that are required to efficiently fulfil your print requirements. The audit
will also establish a revised structure that allows the supplier base to be managed
effectively whilst providing a single source solution. This approach will greatly reduce
the amount of resource expended in supplier related activities.
ADMINISTRATION
The audit will assess the level of administration required for managing the print
supply, including the processing of both purchase orders and supplier invoices. It
will explore more efficient methods of administration that may include, for instance,
e-procurement, digital organisation and tracking and consolidated invoicing.
Recommendations will be made to reduce the amount of administration required
providing a further cost benefit.

E-COMMERCE SOLUTIONS
The audit establishes the current method for purchasing print and distributing it within
the business. Once this has been ascertained it is then possible to suggest a range
of e-commerce solutions designed to improve efficiency and provide a better system
for end users. The systems available include variable templating, stock requisition,
campaign management, location profiling, digital organisation and tracking, workflow
management and management reporting. All of these solutions are flexible and would
be tailored to meet the specific needs identified during our audit.
PRODUCT INNOVATION
Innovative products and processes are continually being developed within the wider
print market. Our audit establishes the link between printed products and the business
processes they are used within to recommend innovative ideas where new products or
processes can be of benefit. This approach can have a powerful impact on marketing
campaigns and operational effectiveness.
RISK MITIGATION/BUSINESS CONTINUITY
Whilst most businesses have an established risk mitigation strategy to protect
themselves against unforeseen circumstances, often the supply of business critical
print is overlooked. Our audit will seek to identify all business critical print items and
determine whether or not the supply of these items can be guaranteed.
CONTROL AND ACCOUNTABILITY
For any company with a substantial spend on print, it is important to accurately
account for, and control, all expenditure. Where numerous suppliers and ordering
points are involved, this is often an area of confusion with little or no control and poor
visibility. Our audit will establish the current levels of control and accountability and
review existing management information. Recommendations will be made to enable
accurate accounting of all expenditure by a department or site basis. A comprehensive
range of management information will be recommended that provides accurate
information identifying exactly where the print spend lies, providing a valuable tool to
assist in driving down costs on an on-going basis.
CONTROL OF BRAND IDENTITY & ASSETS
It can be difficult to control the brand of an organisation across a wide spectrum of
printed materials. This is largely due to two factors:
EXTENT OF THE SUPPLY BASE
Where numerous suppliers are providing print without the proper controls there
will be a variance in the way the items are reproduced. Whilst everyone will look to
reproduce logos faithfully, use the correct fonts, colours, etc there will always be
potential for variation through interpretation. Materials and substrates will vary which
will also impact upon the way that the organisations brand is represented. This can be
exacerbated by the fact that suppliers are rarely managed centrally, often different
departments within the business manage them independently.

BRAND AWARENESS
When many individuals within a business are responsible for buying print, there is the
chance that they are not fully aware of their own brand. For example, whilst marketing
teams will be brand aware, other departments may not be and may not know the print
they are purchasing does not conform to the brand identity.
During our audit, samples from a wide range of print products will be obtained, and
each will be assessed for brand compliance. This will include the use of logos, fonts and
colours. Any variance from the corporate standard will be reported along with suitable
recommendations for more effective control.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
During our audit we will establish to what extent environmentally friendly processes
and materials are being utilised throughout the supply chain. Whilst this may or may
not be an important consideration for the client we will look to offer suggestions that
will lessen the impact on the environment.
AUDIT METHODOLOGY
The mechanisms used to collect the audit information are:
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Data collection
Purchasing analysis
Process analysis
Resource analysis
DATA COLLECTION
In order to make a meaningful analysis, the audit needs to collect information about
products representing 70% - 80% of the total spend. This is not normally as difficult
as it may appear as this can usually be obtained from 20% of the items. Samples of
each item will be obtained and a questionnaire for each completed. The key questions
relating to each item are:
Annual consumption versus normal order quantity - used to determine purchasing
patterns and establish whether or not best value is being obtained.
Expenditure on product - to provide an accurate assessment of current spend and
show the extent to which cost can be reduced.
Current supplier - to evaluate the extent and nature of the supplier base.
Whether or not the product is business critical - used in the analysis of risk mitigation.
The purpose of the item - used to understand the function of the item.
How the item is created/amended - used to understand the artwork/
origination process.
Whether or not the product could be improved in anyway – to establish whether the
product is fit for purpose and facilitate process improvement.
Part of the data collection is normally facilitated through individual meetings with the
end user. This provides a vital opportunity to understand how the products are used
in the business process and enables us to consider solutions that will benefit both the
user and your business as a whole.

PURCHASING ANALYSIS
The audit meetings will be held with the key individuals that purchase print throughout
your business. The purpose of these meetings is to establish the methods currently
used to purchase print, to understand the needs and expectations of the purchaser
and to allow the purchaser to raise any relevant issues. This is a useful exercise as it
highlights variations in the level of service provided by suppliers and, in conjunction
with information obtained via the questionnaires, enables analysis of purchasing
patterns and the degree to which the enterprise purchasing power is being leveraged.
PROCESS ANALYSIS
During the meetings with end-users and purchasers, we will gain a complete
understanding of the various processes used to purchase, manage and
administer print. This information is used to suggest solutions to improve
processes in a way that will benefit the print users and enable realisation of
further indirect cost benefits.
RESOURCE ANALYSIS
This analysis is designed to assess the amount of resource currently utilised in the
processes of purchasing and managing print. Purchasers will be asked how much of
their time is spent on print purchasing and how it impacts upon their core activities.
Those involved with distributing print around the business and the extent to which
this impacts on their other activities will also be assessed. Finally we will establish
the storage space required and assess if this space could be better utilised by the
business. This information will be used to illustrate the potential benefits of an
integrated print management system that will enable resources to be re-deployed in a
cost effective manner.
REPORT FINDINGS
Following the audit a comprehensive report is prepared containing the audit findings
and recommendations for change. These will include:
ANALYSIS OF CURRENT EXPENDITURE
This will take the form of a detailed review of the products that were audited, along
with usage and current expenditure information. These are normally arranged on a
departmental basis so that key areas of spend can be easily identified.
ANALYSIS OF PRINT PURCHASING METHOD
This will provide a detailed account of the current situation identifying purchasing
patterns, stock management, accountability, processes, brand integrity and utilisation
of resources.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGE
This will provide a comprehensive explanation of all aspects of the Print Management
solution and describe how it will deliver both direct and indirect cost benefits.

YOUR CREATIVE SOLUTION
Barn Studios,
Red House Barn,
Goddards Green Road,
Benenden, Cranbrook,
TN17 4AR
M +44 (0) 7887 596 392
E hello@yourcreativesolutionltd.com
yourcreativesolutionltd.com