From concept to product in 24 hours: ppi Media, comosoft and Evers-Druck let their creativity run wild
"Small – Sharp – Smart." This was the motto that guided the second annual ShipIt Day at ppi Media. More precisely, this means transforming project ideas into product realities within 24 hours. 50 participants working in ten teams accepted the challenge. "What we got were products that are now ready for a market launch," lauded Jan Kasten, project advocate and Managing Director at ppi Media.
The "rules of the game" are pretty straightforward: Before the earth completes one rotation around its own axis, the ShipIt Day's participants have to make their concept for a new product a reality. Who works how with whom is not important. Everyday work processes, department and even corporate hierarchies do not come into play. The result is the only thing that matters. Once time has expired, the groups have four minutes to pitch the products they have created.
Creativity and team building
"The concept of ShipIt Day is highly incentivizing. The participants are highly motivated, not just because of the time pressure but, above all, because they have the opportunity to make ideas they are passionate about come alive," noticed Manual Scheyda, Senior Vice-President of Product- & Innovation Management at ppi Media. When the event premiered in 2014, only ppi employees participated, but this year ShipIt Day was open for employees of the entire concern. So this year, colleagues from ppi's affiliated company comosoft as well as Evers-Druck got on board.
The results of those 24 hours are quite impressive; ten products, three of which received the loudest applause. Included in this group is the app "thanks" for publishers and local business. Yet another team merged the publishing system Content-X and portlight to create magalogs, a magazine and catalog hybrid, and then another team developed a mobile app for ppi Media's Output Management System OM. At a single glance, OM users can now keep track of how their plates are progressing.
Mobile app for OM
This newly developed mobile app is as simple as it is genius. It provides its users with an overview of OM at a single glance. Production heads can install the app and track their plates live on their smart phone or other wearable devices. They need only select the corresponding pub date and can then access a visual overview, see how daily production is progressing and what still needs to be done. They can find out whether there are any problems with their plates. All of this by simply glancing at their smart phone or smart watch. "We will definitely continue developing these three ShipIt Day projects," Jan Kasten promises. And ShipIt day will continue as well. Next year.
