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Role call: technology and operations

In part two of his series on building a digital signage team, Bill Gerba looks at the technical side of site planning and roll-out.

October 17, 2005

In last week's article, I outlined the four core disciplines that digital signage firms should have expertise in. I also mentioned that I'd be starting this next article with an analysis of the business and finance roles within a digital signage company, but a number of readers requested that I begin with a more technical focus. Thus, this article will explore the roles and jobs that make up the Technology and Operations discipline. Ideally, the individuals doing these jobs should have a background in systems integration, networking, or project management. A healthy dose of corporate IT exposure wouldn't hurt either. Responsible for the "digital" aspect of "digital signage," the tech and ops team will need to contend with tasks like:

• Hardware/software selection and integration
• Installation
• Proactive monitoring
• Ongoing hardware maintenance
• Technical support
• Training (remote or on-site)

The above tasks can be roughly divided into two categories, one-time tasks and ongoing tasks. For the most part (and there are always exceptions), the technology and operations staff will spend a good deal of time prior to a deployment evaluating different hardware and software options and making the various pieces work together. Additionally, they will need this time to assemble training manuals that explain the importance of the network, how to report problems, how to make suggestions, etc. After deployment, tech and ops staff can refocus on long-term maintenance of the network, providing technical support and training to help the host location's staff better understand how to effectively utilize the signs. They will also spend some time evaluating the ongoing health and effectiveness of the chosen hardware and software, rolling out changes and upgrades as appropriate.

Of course, deploying a network of any decent size doesn't just happen overnight. Even after months of preparation, it will take additional months to install the equipment at each host location and turn up the network. Consequently, while something like "site installation" is a once-per-site event, deploying a large number of sites can occupy tech and ops staff for quite some time. Similarly, some of the ongoing tasks listed above might turn into one-time events if you're lucky. For example, while I typically think of employee training as an ongoing event, stores with excellent management staff and low employee turnover rates can often assume this responsibility after you've trained them only once or twice.

Also, one major functional area that I haven't touched upon at all is general logistics management. It's not included in the above list because it is part and parcel of every other task mentioned there. But experienced managers know all too well how much time and manpower apparently simple tasks like shipping, order tracking, and maintaining store contact lists can take. The bottom line here is to consider every aspect of a job, get processes in place early to automate as much as possible, break out complex tasks into small, attainable (and measurable) goals, and above all, don't underestimate even apparently simple tasks. For example, we recommend that tech and ops teams break down their pre-installation procedure into a checklist like the one below so that problems can be spotted early-on and the tasks can all be tracked and accounted for.

Pre-Installation Checklist:

Site survey

• Get store/department manager contact information
• Identify location of nearest power outlet, or schedule new drop
• Identify location of Ethernet/cable jack, or schedule new drop
• Note availability of girders (for ceiling drops), or shelving/POP displays (for wall, counter or floor mounts)
• Note any other audio/video displays and electronic equipment in the general viscinity that might cause conflicts
• Verify what, if any, special equipment (e.g. ladders, scaffolding, electric lifts, etc.) the store has on-premises that might be needed during installation
• Identify where the power/network trunk is (typically a phone or electrical room). If you require access to this room during install, note who has keys/codes to enter it

Site preparation

• Verify that any newly dropped lines (power, Ethernet, video, etc.) have been installed and tested
• Verify that any permits for newly run electrical lines or mounting installations have been issued
• Schedule the time and date of install. Keep in mind that install teams may need to be flexible enough to work outside of regular store hours (e.g. early in the morning or late at night)
• Verify that store IT management will be available to troubleshoot any network/availability issues on the agreed-upon install date

Order management

• Order standard bill of materials (typically includes screen, media player, software, cables and mount)
• Purchase any additional/special equipment needed for the given site
• If equipment is to be drop-shipped directly to the site, assemble all tracking numbers and estimated delivery dates, and email/fax to site manager or designated site contact
• If equipment is to be shipped to a staging facility, assemble all tracking numbers and estimated delivery dates, and coordinate with staging manager
• Verify that shipped equipment has arrived on/around the expected delivery dates and make this information visible to appropriate stakeholders

Similar checklists should also be created for installation (which I won't bother to do here since installation tasks vary widely from deployment to deployment) and post-installation testing. During the planning phase, it is also useful to make basic technical support scripts for troubleshooting common tasks (e.g. "audio volume is too loud," "screen is turned off," "network is down," etc.), and plan any training materials that may be needed.

While all of the disciplines mentioned in my previous article can benefit from planning, I think that the tech and ops staff is best suited towards this type of process optimization, owing to the often repetitive and detail-oriented nature of their tasks. In next week's article, we'll look at some of the tasks that creative and merchandising teams are challenged with when trying to turn hundreds or thousands of disparate monitors into a compelling and exciting narrowcast network.

About the author

Bill Gerba is co-founder and CEO of WireSpring Technologies, a provider of software for digital signage and kiosk networks. He is very active in the self-service and narrowcasting industries, and maintains the Dynamic Digital Signage and Interactive Kiosks Journal.