Be mindful before adding new technology
You should consider certain vital elements prior to embarking on a new technology kick. Here are some things to ask before adopting and implementing that hot new technology.
By Lars G. Harrison
Before you embark on purchasing and implementing a new technology you should consider certain vital elements that this new technology affect. Here are a few general questions you may want to ask:
- Who are the users that this new technology will affect?
- What do they think of this new technology?
- How will the new technology affect the culture of the organization, and the morale of the end-users?
- Have end-users been involved in evaluating and selecting the new technology?
- Are end-users capable of using the new technology? If not, how much new user training will be needed, what is the cost of the training, and how long will the training take to ensure operational effectiveness?
- Will the new technology improve operational performance and effectiveness of the organization?
- What problems or processes does the new technology solve, what are the cost savings, intangible or tangible benefits surrounding this new opportunities? Does the new technology introduce new processes which must be audited?
- What legacy systems will this new technology affect? Can they work side-by-side or communicate?
- Will the new technology improve the organization's processes or practices? Will it add performance and capabilities?
- What are the marketplace benchmarks regarding this new technology? What companies in similar industry and situation have successfully implemented and used the new technology?
- How will the new technology affect internal and external communications, leadership and decision making, and does it fit within the business strategy and corporate vision?
- How will the new technology affect the relationships with the customers, suppliers and partners?
- Will the new technology improve the ability to support and satisfy the needs and expectations of the customers?
- Is the solutions a cross-functional, cross-departmental (business units) solution?
- What other applications, platforms, or systems does the new technology affect?
- Do you need new infrastructure, buildings, or equipment to maintain the new technology?
- Can you maintain the new technology with existing human resources, or do you need a maintenance contract or outsource help-desk or other support functions?
- Do you have a program for quality and system improvement in place for the new technology?
- Will this new technology and the company that produced it be around for a long time? Can you rely on frequent upgrades from the company to keep up with the demands of emerging technology?
Before adding the new technology to your existing or replacing your current technology, please bare in mind the full spectrum of the end-users, customer, suppliers and other factors. I have seen often that when management decides on a new technology, the end-users are often entirely neglected or taken out of the decision making process or equation. Don't make this mistake!
Lars G. Harrison can be reached at lars_harrison@yahoo.com.
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