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Atlas' 7 Steps to Implementation 1. Envisioning. Your current processes exist for a reason. Before we think about changing it, let's ensure we know its strengths, weaknesses, and purpose for being. Let's assess the costs and benefits of any potential changes by first gaining a thorough understanding of how and in what environment your business operates. Then we can determine if your company is able to take advantage of benefits offered by RFID. Atlas will work with you to brainstorm, formulate, and identify specific opportunities where RFID may help achieve your goals. Atlas will conduct an RFID workshop targeted at personnel you designate, to ensure that all key decision-makers are able to make fully informed decisions and no question is left unanswered. Outcome: Detailed overview of opportunities tailored specifically to your company. 2. Business Assessment. Instead of implementing RFID in an ad hoc manner, let's develop a long-term business justification for adopting RFID and formulate a vision of how your business will look. Atlas will work with you to understand your business' strategies, objectives, constraints, processes, and stakeholders. RFID is not an end, but rather a means to an end, and that end is greater profits. Therefore, a business case must exist for RFID. Outcome: Detailed business assessment and customized request for proposal template that outlines all key factors critical to a successful RFID deployment at your company. 3. Technical Assessment. Not only is it more responsible to run any new system in parallel with the old system, but it can also lead to valuable insights that were invisible when looking at either system in isolation. Therefore, Atlas will make sure that all parties have a good understanding of your current systems. Atlas will perform a thorough on-site assessment of your current systems architecture, data flow, network and communications systems, and radio frequency environment. Outcome: Detailed technical assessment and good faith estimate (proposal) of the costs and implications of implementing a RFID solution. 4. Solutions Design and Architecture. Now that we've justified RFID from a business and technical standpoint, let's develop a master plan that shows which systems will need to change and how. This plan will show what your application and infrastructure architecture will look like after deploying RFID. Designing up front will give us a clear goal and will also promote the necessary discussions between you and your business units, end users, operations staff, IT staff, and business partners. Atlas will develop a customized roadmap including documentation detailing solution design and architecture, application integration, read point selection and customization, network design, storage planning and design, server infrastructure design, and testing. Outcome: Well-thought out implementation plan that will get you from where you are, to where you need to be. 5. Implementation. Let's implement a pilot project to validate our assumptions. We don't need to be afraid to revise the roadmap and architecture based on new insights gained from our pilot, and we should be ready to tweak the process as we progress. By first piloting a solution, you will gain greater confidence that the full-scale implementation will achieve all of your goals in a timely, productive, and cost-effective manner. Outcome: Fully functioning, fully integrated RFID solution that will allow you to begin immediately realizing greater profits. 6. Continuous Improvement. The old process took time to develop, and the new one will take time to mature. While this is happening, be ready to take advantage of new capabilities and constantly look for innovative ways to make use of the new system. Watching carefully how people use your new system can provide important clues for streamlining the process. Atlas will train your employees, then maintain and upgrade your systems. Most importantly, Atlas will work with you to continue to find ways to make your processes and systems even more efficient over time, thus doing what's necessary to make sure you get the greatest possible ROI from RFID. Outcome: RFID is a means to greater profitability for your company, and this profitability is sustainable through continuous improvement. 7. Share with Partners. You have a great system in place and are already generating ROI, but you can generate exponentially more ROI if your partners are involved as well. Atlas can work with your less-enlightened partners and show them how to improve their own processes. When a fully integrated RFID system is in place across your entire network, you will truly begin to realize the full benefits of RFID. Taking a leadership role will allow you to define the agenda and the standards for future integration. Outcome: Even greater profits for your company. |
