If the production department was presented with the design that the sales team and the customer were mulling over, the production department would probably have a few suggestions. Small changes in a sign design could prevent a great deal of wasted materials and, in some cases, can make an impossible design practical. Communication between these two departments in a shop would also result in better timetables. If the salesperson knew that the production department had four sign projects on the table, they wouldn't assign another one with a finish date for the day after tomorrow. In the last ring of our sign business circus, the management team tries desperately to coordinate a business so that it is profitable.
Management pushes the sales department to get more contracts from more customers.
They also push the production department to move faster and do more in less time at a lower cost. If only they knew that because of the poor quality of the signs produced for customer X, the sales team has had to spend a great deal of their time with him convincing him that it will never happen again. At the same time, the production department is wondering how they are supposed to do better and faster work when their equipment is run down and due for replacement or repair. Management has to watch the bottom line, but they've also got to listen to the people who make their business possible. Management probably offers the best turf in which to organize a meeting between the sales and production departments.