Raw

**To:** Engagement manager
**From:** [consultant]
**Subject:** Two studies will show how much of TTW's composing cost can be removed

You asked what the first two weeks of work on composing-room costs support. The evidence points to savings, but not yet to their size: TTW's own managers disagree about whether its costs are high, and the department is now losing capacity fast enough that any delay costs money. TTW should start two studies immediately and treat the staffing gap as a third, parallel action — a comparison with other printers should not be part of the programme.

**1. Trial simplified quality control on inexpensive titles — up to 10% of total composing cost.**
Every title today passes through essentially the same quality-control stages, whether it is a complex reference book or a simple novel, and simple work is exactly where TTW is uncompetitive. George Kennedy is willing to run the test on selected jobs, measuring the effect of fewer or differently timed checks on quality and on customers.

**2. Commission a methods study of the composing operation — the productivity gap is 20–50%.**
Industry comparisons place TTW that far behind the benchmark, so changing the composing method is the second route to lower unit cost. Kennedy has also agreed to examine why measured productivity trails the benchmark, which gives the study its starting point.

**3. Close the capacity and pay gap in parallel, or the savings will not be realised.**
The department is overloaded and manual composition is short of capacity outright. TTW pays below local market rates, cannot hire or retain compositors, has just lost two employees, and now runs most jobs late. Overtime stands more than 50% over budget while the union is pressing a new claim — so the current cost base is inflated by conditions the two studies cannot touch.

**What I need:** your agreement to the two studies and to naming an owner for the staffing question this week.

*Omitted:* the proposed comparison with three other printers — a simple comparison will not settle whether TTW's costs are excessive, and the two studies answer that question directly. Also dropped: the list of managers interviewed, and the observation that they disagree about cost levels, which is a reason to measure rather than an action; both are available in the working notes.