Albuquerque Public Schools Graphics Enterprise Services is an example of operational excellence

By Mike Llewellyn

Operators Become ‘Project Specialists’

Going all-digital didn’t just change the machines in the press room at Albuquerque Public Schools Graphics Enterprise Services. The replacement of offset presses with Xerox printers transformed everything about how the 25-employee shop does business, job descriptions included. Press operators were “re-branded” as digital project specialists, responsible for the entire job.

Customers submit work orders and files online (and occasionally in person) to the project specialist assigned to their department or school. The job is added to the job log and tracked using BaseCamp, a Web-based project management tool. The files then go either to Manager Karin Tarter or her graphic design supervisor for a brand and artwork check. Then, it’s back to the specialist, or, if changes are needed, to a graphic designer first.

The specialist is responsible for printing and binding each job on the appropriate machine, calling in help from other specialists if needed. The finished project is then mailed or returned to the customer, while project information is forwarded to the in-plant’s accounting specialist for processing.

With this arrangement, project specialists are able to oversee every stage in the completion of a job. As a result, they become an indispensable “single phone call” for their customers, and an asset to the district overall.

When Karin Tarter first descended the stairway to the old fallout shelter that housed the print operation for Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), she passed a sign that read "Enter At Your Own Risk." It was July 25, 2000, and the former freelance marketing consultant and graphic designer was stepping into her first day on the job as manager of the district's in-plant, Graphics Enterprise Services.

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