By KARL KUNTZ
Managing Editor of Graphics, The Columbus Dispatch
Integrating new technology is like being a pioneer trekking across the county to the promise of a new life. The whole process is tedious, uncertain, takes stamina, vision, resourcefulness and courage. It all starts with vision and a dream before the journey starts. Along the way may things can interrupt or halt the progress of the journey.
There is a difference between being first and being a pioneer. Responsibility in developing and working with a vendor is part of being a pioneer. Equipment purchased for a specific reason somehow changes when it actually is put into use.
There is a fear among visual journalists that the new technology will ruin photojournalism. Control of the image will be lost in the process. Education of the photographic and newsroom journalists is essential to becoming a technologically advanced newspaper. Here are the lessons I have learned from implementation of electronic technology.
1. PROJECT LEADER
Make sure to have an expert on your staff. Put someone in charge of the project and develop a master plan. This person should understand the new technology as well as the news business and be willing to orchestrate change. Goals and responsibilities must be set for the upcoming change. Teamwork between departments is a must to integrate new technology.
2. SET GOALS
Set goals when equipment will be integrated and in use. Use the rule of 4¹s when integrating any new equipment. Plan for a specific target date but don¹t be surprised when the date isn¹t met and it takes 4 times as long and is 4 times as much trouble as you had estimated.
3. READ THE MANUALS
I get many phone calls from digital photography users looking for answers that are in the manual. Before setting up the equipment, manuals need to be studied. I usually make a copy of the manual so I can highlight key points while I¹m reading it. This makes it easier for others to get the key points.
4. TEST! TEST! TEST!
Don¹t expect the equipment to work the first time Plug and play isn¹t likely to happen with newsroom technology. Just because the vendor tells you the equipment works in a certain way doesn¹t mean it can be integrated into your operation the same way. It is always best to visit another newspaper using the same type of equipment in a deadline type situation.
5. CALIBRATE TO YOUR SPECIFICATIONS.
One of the biggest pains in integrating new equipment is calibrating the device to your newspaper¹s specifications. This takes time and energy to track the pixels through to output. There are so many variables that some users don¹t bother to calibrate the entire system. Then they wonder why their reproduction is poor.
6. SUMMARIZE THE MANUALS.
Training a newspaper staff to use new technology is stressful for all involved. Employees are leaving a comfortable, known way of operating to try a new unknown way. Anything you can do to help the staff through easy to read system updates, manuals or suggestions will be extremely fruitful. A technology bulletin board located in the photography department could help them in this transition.
7. TRAIN EMPLOYEES HOW TO OPERATE THE EQUIPMENT
This is usually best after the equipment has been tested, proved reliable and you know how it will be used in the daily operation. A sure way to fail is testing at the same time the device is being used on a daily basis. Or in the case of digital cameras, give everyone new camera without any training and expect everything to go smoothly. Train a group of superusers to help in the training. I prefer to train employees that will be in major control points of the worklfow. With digital photography, this control point is the picture desk and Picture Editors. Training users in small groups (2 to 3) how to simple tasks on the new systems. Add operating sophistication after employees have a grasp of how the equipment works. Do not overload them with details that they don¹t need to know at the present time. After all the employees are trained and the equipment is in deadline use for a period of time, be sure to update job descriptions to reflect the changes. Training employees on new technology is an ongoing situation. It doesn¹t cease after the initial training classes.
8. LEARN FROM THE SUCCESS/FAILURE OF OTHERS
Find other newspapers using the same equipment and learn from their experiences. Don¹t be afraid to call other newspapers for information. Join a users group if one is available. One newspaper brought a video camera and interviewed the picture editors and photographers on how the equipment operates. They also followed a picture through the system to show the production staff at his newspaper how workflow was likely to change.
9. COMMUNICATE
Keep the lines of communication open between departments. Ask for critiques of output from the device. Have frequent meetings with users to discuss problems and concerns. Try to take some of the uncertainty out of the new technology. Retrain employees as needed. Communicate to vendors any problems you are encountering. IMPORTANT!!! Communicate to the upper management at your newspaper the changes that are taking place. Some staff members now think the whole production process is somewhat magical. These employees must have the basic understanding of what happens on a daily basis.
10. – HAVE A BACKUP PLAN. (Disaster Plan)
Run dual systems during the startup and gradually phase out one system. Keep it if you don¹t have any other way to back it up. Ask yourself the question, “How do I get the paper out if this piece of equipment fails?” Be prepared for the worst at the worst possible time. Any new technology, like digital photography, will not be successful without teamwork, communication and an integration and operational plan.
