"Poweronoff" – about reset and restart
"Turn it on and off again"
"Have you tried turning it on and off again?" is practically a mantra in first-level support—and for good reason: Sometimes, restarting is all it takes to realign processes and make things work again.
In a way, that’s part of our DNA at Kittelberger—from hot metal typesetting to today’s digital solutions: without something new, nothing moves forward! Our goal is that working with us always brings something new for our clients. A new product data management system, a new catalog, a new website, or media management platform: new possibilities, new tasks, new technology—not for its own sake, but because the world keeps turning.
Unexpected Possibilities
When the computer or a program is restarted, the hope is usually that “everything is back to normal”: a restart to restore the previous state.
But this is where things are different today: often, the effects and changes brought by something new aren’t immediately tangible.
This even applies to the things we’ve been doing for years—we’re still regularly amazed at the ripple effects when a process chain for one of our clients not only becomes digital, but truly better. Yes, it means everyone has to get used to a new system, but the endless Excel battles come to an end. And sure, you might not be able to tweak the layout by hand anymore—but in return, you can generate new print files daily if needed. And time and again, new use cases emerge from the data and capabilities—ones nobody thought of at the beginning.
Looking back, this “something more” often turns out to be even more important than the original reason for starting fresh. And it’s all only possible because someone took that first step!
Insights from Years of Project Experience
As you can see: “Truly new” also means: different. And that requires flexibility. But as the saying goes: “Different isn’t always better – but better is always different.”
This perspective gives you the courage to take on new challenges—and the good judgment not to tear everything down. Here are a few concrete lessons:
Rethink the Entire Process
Digitizing a process is great—and should ALWAYS be used as an opportunity to rethink and redesign it. Sometimes pragmatically, aiming for 80 percent and trusting that the rest will fall into place. It often helps if at least one team member is new to the project and therefore unburdened by existing realities.
Make Milestones Truly “Done”
Digitalization projects are often complex. That means: the question changes even as you're working on the answer. It also means: there is no one-time solution that fits all. And—though it may sound daunting—sometimes there’s no such thing as “finished,” but rather milestones on a path that must remain adaptable.
Combine the New with the Existing
“Creating something new” can very well mean “making use of what’s already there.” We often find that the “old world” and the “new world” can be connected—sometimes even with added benefits. A few examples:
- Everything in the cloud? Maybe not. A website landscape can be hybrid: content management, personal data, and compute-intensive processes may be better handled on-premises for compliance and control, while applications and websites benefit from being cloud-based.
- Fully automated? Not necessarily. Automating a catalog means giving up manual edits. In theory. But if done right, even static pages can be integrated.
The Appeal of the New
One thing is certain: the appeal of the new also unleashes energy! It’s that sense of moving forward, of leaving something behind, that holds a special fascination for us as humans. In this spirit, we wish you successful new beginnings—and a strong start to the final quarter of 2021.