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Charts
/ Graphs / Diagrams
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T-21
customers have come
to rely on us to make simple, easily understood graphics
that impart a concept, system, or procedure. Some are for
Web Sites, some are for Reports, Presentations, or
Instruction Manuals; others are for a multitude of
other applications. Although T-21 has produced many
complicated graphics for particular customer needs, we always strive to maintain simplicity and ease-of-understanding in our
graphics.
A Chart or Graph can
make a situation or problem clearer and more understandable.
Something, present all along, but unnoticed, can suddenly become much more
evident from a diagram. Here is one example: CUSTOMER
ANALYSIS.
Problem.
A T-21 customer manufactures custom parts on a
Job Order basis and was experiencing a gradual decline in
profits. The company's Executive Manager contacted his T-21 Team
Manager (TM) to see if we could help them analyze the situation.
Action. Their
TM asked for copies of all sales and
production data they had on-hand; a small Data Analysis
Team was then assembled for the project. Once the data was received, the
Team analyzed it and defined it into
snapshot groups, including: Sales Dollars by Customer,
Sales Profits by Customer, Sales Orders by Customer, and so
on.
The TM
then convened
a small Graphics Team that
converted the data into simple Charts
and
Graphs. Once approved by the Analysis Team,
the TM
sent the graphics to the company.
Results. The Executive Manager
was enthusiastic about
the impact that T-21's graphics had made. He said,
"As you know, we have four major customers and
a lot of other, small ones. Around here, we jump when any of
the 'Big Four'
speak. But, interestingly, your graphs showed us something
that was there all along - but we just didn't recognize: We make
almost 70% of our
profits from the
little guys."
He continued, "It was your Pie Charts
that called our attention to
it; it couldn't have been more clear. In the
past, we've treated the smaller volume buyers as a low
priority. From now on, we're
going to try to pump up Sales and Customer Service to them.
It's true that any one of the 'Big Four' has a larger percentage than
any one of the smaller ones; but, in total, the orders from the little
guys are major."
After a pause, he went on to say,
"The next thing that your charts showed us was that the
number of orders
from the big companies are slowly
spiraling down. This decline, coupled with the terms
that the 'Big Four' demand, account for our slowly declining
profit; now we know what we need to do about it."
His final comments were, "Now we see the future for our market.
And, as sort of a bonus for us - your graphs helped us solve another
mystery. We've had a 9% Materials Waste, that we couldn't
account for. For months, we were looking for the spot where
this was occurring. But, your graphs showed us that we actually have eleven small areas of
waste that total to the 9%. Now that we know where to look, we can concentrate on
those. We appreciate you guys. This was good work."
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"A picture is worth a
thousand words." There is no better way to make a point than
to illustrate it in a Chart or Graph. T-21
can help.
Here is
an example:
COMPANY
WEB SITE.
Problem.
The Sales Manager of a long-term T-21 customer contacted their
Team Manager (TM) about their company's advertising.
His problem was getting prospective customers to understand that their product was better in several performance areas, compared to their competition.
He said that they always
show comparative results, but when they talk to prospective customers, they seem unaware of it.
Initial Analysis. The
TM requested copies of the company's current ads and had
a Team review the company's Web Site. Both the literature and the Web Site had product pictures and a lot of text, with technical specifications and comparative measures.
The TM advised our customer, "People are in a hurry.
They want the 'big picture' - fast. Once interested, they may read the text and look at specifications.
We suspect that you're losing them before they are interested enough to dig in deeper."
Action. The TM
suggested that charts / graphs should be created to simply
illustrate the primary areas in which the product excelled.
The
company sent benchmark comparisons to their TM, and a T-21 Graphics Team built charts and
graphs from the data - clearly displaying how much better and
less expensive the product is than their competition's.
When T-21 sent the graphics
and Web Site proposal to the company, they immediately voiced their approval and asked
for a mock-up of a brochure layout. The design was similar to
the Web Site proposal and was kept very simple - with big, bold headings, telling
what the product is, what it does, and showing
a picture of
it. Next were bold categories of performance and cost,
followed by simple charts / graphs. It ended with the options, pricing and contact information.
Results.
The Web
Site revision plan and the brochure mock-up were a hit.
The Team suggested that,
to have an integrated presentation, the company should revise their
Web Site and brochures, using similar colors and layout.
On a follow-up call, the Manager said that the new format, graphically
showing the product, now sticks in customers' minds.
He added that this makes closing sales a lot easier.
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Reinforcing
key communication points is a major role for Charts or Diagrams.
Here's one example:
COMPANY
COMMUNICATIONS.
Problem.
A manufacturer of molded plastics
hired a new Plant Manager (PM) to run its custom job shop. Over the years,
the company had accumulated thousands of molds and job
specifications. They also had a lot of problems;
so the PM contacted
T-21 to see how we might help.
"Disorganization,"
the
manager said, "is our
biggest single problem. I see some ways to improve things, but when we
talk and talk in meetings, it all seems to digress into minutiae and we
get off-track. I need a way to communicate problems and ideas to my staff and my
bosses and keep us on-topic."
Plan.
The PM sent copies of his reports to us.
His writing was good, but graphics were lacking. His
TM said that a
T-21 Graphics Team could design diagrams to be shown on a flip chart at staff meetings
and included in written reports or computer projected presentations for his bosses.
He thought for a moment and said, "Focal points! You're right; they need to 'see' the issue, not just hear about it."
The Team Manager assembled a
small Graphics
Team
for the job that produced custom diagrams, depicting problems, as well as
other
graphics that quickly displayed proposed
solutions or changes.
Results. After using the new graphics
for a few months, the manager said, "We're
finally getting somewhere. In staff meetings, the flip-charts keep
us on-topic. I now have one thing that I can point to, keeping us
on-track. My staff is starting to respond as we make progress."
The Plant Manager met with his line
managers to discuss problems and possible solutions; a solid plan
gradually formed. When the PM was ready to
present the plan to the company's top managers, T-21
produced the graphics for a presentation. The PM said later,
"My bosses are pleased with my reports. I've been getting approval on almost everything I take to them."
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