Blueprint for Success

Two years ago, some customers atrion Internet companies are waiting for up to 30 days of bidding, and staff rotation and from being overwhelmed with work, is frustrating idle. At that time, Warwick, RI-based company structure, so that each salesperson was assigned a specific support , who produced quotations and proposals.

"But we look forward to support teams that do good marks configuration of equipment, Christopher good The statements in the design work, and Michel good in the other elements, and said: "Tim 210 votes, the Chief Operating Officer To atrion.

210 votes decided the reconstitution process, so that each bid or proposal , in accordance with the same, consistent line, through the organization. "We have created a place workflow support, people work as a team, and then we outlined it," he said. "Therefore, for each quote, you may have four people working in different time, but they are doing their very good. Look like a production line in the process. " Blueprint to balance the workload better, because support people were no longer rely solely on the workload of a single salesperson, and an efficient fast.

"Within 30 days, we found that the same number of people are producing four times the volume of the work, while reducing time will be spent on how to make a proposal or quotation, from an average of 50%, "He said," and the quality and consistency is better. " Like atrion, Microsoft partners struggle to provide complex solutions on time and budget have found a new weapon in the Their fight for profits? Blueprinting.

According partners have accepted it, blueprinting is a strategy that will allow you every process in your organization? Including pre-sale, sale, delivery, support and maintenance? And pondering over it, until it as a highly efficient, predictable and repeatable as possible. The idea is to take guess for business, and will therefore significantly increase your profits. "We have seen a doubling of our net income in the past two years, but only blueprinting," 210 said. "It has a tremendous impact on the bottom line." Experts say, blueprinting not only raise profits, but it also helps to ensure the feasibility of a partnership, especially in the current atmosphere , the son of razor clam products, such as ultra-thin profit margins.

"Product margins does not exist, and will continue to be non-existent, so that partners focused on selling more solutions including services and higher profit margins, said: "Laolamaikelilan, vice president of marketing strategies at Gartner. "The main way is by these playbooks, prescription records and practices people can follow, it allows you to do more, faster and with less labor." The 80-20 rule the idea behind blueprinting is 81 percent what partners, and transmit it to each - Customer is the same, while only 20% is different. Blueprinting 80 percent point, it is a predictable, repeatable, in the process of the release of resources concentrated in the 20 percent is unique, or Value added.

"Nobody wants to believe that, 80 percent is the same, particularly the people responsible for providing solutions," said Andrew, Levy, president and CEO of Aztec Systems, Inc. is a Gold Certified Partners, based in Dallas. "They like the world of black magic that it, but it is the same as the real key is to find out how to proceduralize 80 percent, you can spend a little more time, and focus on the 20% of the unique, you shouldn # 39 T is remodeling a 100 percent every time. " Before hugging blueprinting, Aztec found it difficult to maintain the budget and scope of the project, especially in its Business Solutions practice, with a focus on deploying the Microsoft Great Plains.

"This year, we? Vitamin E is [blueprinting] in place, every single one business solutions contacts, exceeding the budget circumstances. " Andrew Levy COO, Aztec Systems Inc.

"Before, it was assumed that the implementation of the Great Plains more more is an art, not science, "he says. "But we have decided to apply the blueprinting process, we found that the sales plans and this is not the case. " Levys firm to build a template of time, the expense, effort and resources to implement the Great Plains for a wide range customers? Small, medium and large. "We have seen things like the number of invoices, and the number of places, a number of checks they write, the number of employees and location," he said. The result is a blueprint for a definitive solution to 80% of each solution.

"I can tell you the blueprint for making a tremendous difference, we have established a correct development goal, to provide a Great Plains solution, beat them, "he said. "This year, we have been in this place, every single one business solutions contacts have already exceeded budget, but before that, every one is more than the Budget." To build such a blueprint is not easy, but it can be done quite easily, even if you only had a process several times . "You do a project once, but you have to guarantee that you have your people thinking that this is you have to go through it," Levy explained. "So, we in the second test, and the third test, it passed by the time you have it three times, you tested, it would be sufficient to call it the rules of engagement, a real blueprint." Staff concerns go beyond efficiency , the experts said, blueprinting insulation can also help partners turnover and changes in their workforce.

For example, it may be difficult to take your best salesman or the deployment of Active Directory experts pointed out that the field for a short time to work on the architecture template and a blueprint for, but the overall result is more than worth it.

"Blueprinting short-term bandwidth required, but like lots of the development process, it has long-term bonuses, said:" The old Neil Mori, general manager of sales and partner willing to cooperate with Microsofts global sales and marketing group partners. "If you, it is these processes records, you can ramp your new employees faster, and there is no problem, and you have also become far from being dependent on a key employees, because the whole process documented." Partners agree. "Many of our competitors have one or two outstanding engineers, but they have this right," said the 210. "If a person has left, they will insist until they receive, also have the ability in, we do not have the problem because we have already established a correct procedures and ways and means." Blueprinting, but also conducive when it comes to In order to support the deployment and maintenance of customer, the 210 votes that, because all the facilities are roughly the same. "We support engineers do not have to clarify what in the heck is this guy this account, he knows what the expectations and moves on from there." An endless process partners need not only apply to resources for the development blueprint, but they also need to establish ownership, and continue as a blueprint for the review process or business changes.

Levy said that Macaos return to the coin has been the establishment of a contact group with a blueprint for the management and acts as mission control centre, each project. The Group has been revisiting the process, to ensure that they stay with business.

"Once a quarter, we will select several blueprint, and we consider it necessary to review, we will take them into our a war room on them, "he said. "We constantly review them, because you have to remember that the blueprint has been drawn, the only good today, you must be responsible, to ensure that it continues to Jingru to your business." Atrion 210 votes agreed, and even has the formal process of reviewing the blueprint. "Every quarter, each business unit is responsible for the blueprint for the transformation from the show will be at least one Page, or the goal of hairy being audacious in the extreme," he says. "We are always looking for ways in which the blueprint for a more efficient, we are the overall process good, this is a good way to do so. " Tools scarce It relevant experts and partners, to find tools to help with the process of blueprinting It is not easy, although some tools repurposed help (see "blueprinting products"). Microsoft offers smatterings of information throughout its partners plan, which help, but did not specifically address blueprinting itself.

"You will not see Microsoft announced the blueprint, for instance, the sale of SQL Server 2005 to the production and operation," said Microsofts Nelson. "We prefer to believe that it is the best approach, we have accumulated some guidance for the east-west, we can see that is common across multiple a partners and the type of partnership. " blueprinting products six tools that can help relieve blueprinting process.

Microsoft tools, partners, sales and support? , As well as assistance from other manufacturers can blueprinting process. These tools include: Visio 2003: " We use Visio to create, all of our blueprint, and said: "Andrew Cheng Levy, president and CEO of Aztec Systems Inc. in Dallas. "We set out to establish a fair Visio diagrams a lot of supporting documents to support the stage of the process, this is a very good tool for us." s SharePoint: Microsofts SharePoint 2003, blueprinting is also a useful tool, users can create their own blueprint and after their SharePoint. This is to ensure that every member of an organization can access the blueprint, as well as the blueprint for the proper storage and the efficiency of updates, partners said.

exchanges: Many partners use of the Exchange to ensure that access to the drawings, and to ensure that employees maintain a continuous dialogue on the impact. "We will use a public folder on the exchange, so that everyone can take advantage of, and discussed They said:" Tim 210 votes, chief operating officer, in atrion network in Rhode Island, WACKER Live Communications Server: partners in finding instant messaging features, Microsofts Live Communications Server, but also conducive to maintaining a blueprint on track.

"Said an engineer is doing an install Active Directory, and Following the blueprint of his things, it is a customer site does not seem right, said: "210 votes. "He can, in fact, instant messaging, project managers and human development blueprint, and said this is what I see what how I should do? Is it really ensures consistency of our delivery. " silver technology: for partners such as atrion, operation and management services, tools from vendors such as silver technology can help ensure the provision of services to clients throughout the environment always. "With their tools, I can apply for the equipment to service the same way, every time? This is like their own blueprint, "210 said.

hosted Microsoft CRM: A second tool on the horizon is a hosted version of the Microsoft CRM specifically for the Microsofts partners, partners, the so-called gateway partnerpoint.com scheme up and running in the near future. Portal, which will be pay-per-view customers on the basis of commitment to helping partners blueprint for the sale process, in order to ensure a more consistent approach, said Brian ocheltree partnerpoint.com founder.

? Jiaoannika Cummings He said that the information released on the Web, and some may be in the classroom and some training along through to partners from the forces that support the field.

"There was no single place you would go to the blueprint or best practices," he said. "Personally, I think we can do a great deal of work to further improve collaboration, collection, and bring it to partners." Gartners McLellan said the company should consider a better ring collection point for the partner of the blueprint and best practices. "It behooves Microsoft a facilitator and coordinator, pulling these things together, so that they update, and as a distribution point," she says. , "Because this role is likely to Microsofts most valuable partners eyes, and lead to more sales." Atrion 210 votes endorsed. "I would like to see Microsoft come out and say, Heres how the blueprint for your business and there are some tools, we offer to make it more easy, but it did not," he said. "This is not [its] focus, I know? [It], it is most important to us to sell more products, but I must also be in the business, 10 years later, now. " He said that the 210 votes that he is a member of, 1nservice, a geographically dispersed group of dealers and with each VAR blueprint for the quarter and share best practices. "They are a great tool providing feedback and benchmarking" 210 votes, said: "If I am planning to launch a new service, I will tell them what I would like to do so, they will be given feedback. I can also share my profit and loss account and balance sheet, and see how it compared with other people as well. It helped me see how, I do compare to them? My wages are too high, too low profit margins that I "? These non-governmental organizations and rare, although some large companies has just announced plans to a similar organization, aimed at promoting exchanges the blueprint and best practices. Known as the Technology Professional Services Association (, tPSA), the founder of the group, including industry giants BEA Systems, Inc., Computer Company, Juniper Networks, salesforce.com and Sun Microsystems. Formed at the end of September, it is the first trade association, and its main focus on the sharing of best practices in the provision of public services. Microsoft has not joined the group.

Gartners Scott McClellan said that the establishment of the, tPSA a good sign, as a partner. "These large corporations have begun to go to find them and some of their friends to share best practices and intellectual capital with each other," she says. "I think this is a very good prototype of what could eventually be used with partners." 210 votes, would like to count on. "This is not cheap, run, we kind of business," he said. "Engineers are very expensive, you have to think of how to get the most, and has good quality products to your customers, I really believe that the only way to do that is blueprinting, and re-examine your business often on the basis that it will be very good, and if there is a place to find and share this knowledge