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Casual Articles - IT Expenditure - Why Businesses Spend Huge Amounts on Ineffective IT Investments
One of the basics of acting taught to me in grade school was the important principle of "staying in character." Staying in character means holding the image and personality of the character you are assigned to portray without letting your own personality leak through.Applying the principle in school, I would lock my legs stiffly and allow my arms and hands to flex gently as if they were in a flowing breeze. It was not easy for me as a third grader to stay in character as a tree.My professional a
Addressing the real problem
To take a process approach to the problem, we need to understand (in some depth) the informal processes carried out every day by employees. These are not
Question: What do you think the most important part of any ad is? Your company name? Your telephone number? Your offer? Look at your own advertising. What stands out? What is in the largest print? If it’s your company name or logo hold out your wrist so I can whack it with a stick. What’s the answer? THE HEADLINE!! You see, without a good compelling headline it won’t matter much how great your copy or you offer is, because few will ever read it. REMEMBER: The Only
It seems that almost every day we read in the newspapers about another hideously over budget IT project that doesn't achieve its expected benefits. The ones we read about are usually major multi-million pound projects in the public sector, however this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Many more projects achieve similar results in the private sector, in organisations large and small. These may be anything from the purchase of a new off-the-shelf accounting package for an SME, or a large-scale fully-integrated ERP implementation across multiple sites and countries. These do not usually make the headlines due to the commercially sensitive nature of this information.
Does this mean that the technology is over-rated or that we cannot manage IT implementations or is there something fundamentally wrong with the approach?
Where are we going wrong?
"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
Andy Rooney, US news commentator (1919 - )
I wouldn't go as far as the above comment, however there is an element of truth in it.
Typically the IT implementation is seen as the solution to the particular problem (or problems) being addressed, but this is rarely the case. Often the introduction of an IT "solution" can compound a problem as there is now less opportunity for the human intervention that previously stopped problems from becoming crises.
The problems usually lie in the business processes (both formal and informal), irrespective of whether these are carried out by computers or human beings. Automating these processes can simply have the effect of making the problems happen faster!
The obsession with IT as the solution to every major business issue is compounded by the marketing departments and sales people of software developers selling it as such. Until executives address the underlying processes first, we will continue to see streams of failed, expensive IT projects.
Addressing the real problem
To take a process approach to the problem, we need to understand (in some depth) the informal processes carried out every day by employees. These are not
Thinking of selling your handmade custom jewelry wholesale? Be prepared for that first meeting with a shop owner. Here are the top five questions you should be prepared to answer from the shop or boutique owner.1. What is required for a minimum order? Minimum may be a dollar amount or product amount. Make sure you know which way will benefit you most and result in the highest possible profit.2. Do you currently have any specials now. This is perhaps the best way to get business
Does this mean that the technology is over-rated or that we cannot manage IT implementations or is there something fundamentally wrong with the approach?
Where are we going wrong?
"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
Andy Rooney, US news commentator (1919 - )
I wouldn't go as far as the above comment, however there is an element of truth in it.
Typically the IT implementation is seen as the solution to the particular problem (or problems) being addressed, but this is rarely the case. Often the introduction of an IT "solution" can compound a problem as there is now less opportunity for the human intervention that previously stopped problems from becoming crises.
The problems usually lie in the business processes (both formal and informal), irrespective of whether these are carried out by computers or human beings. Automating these processes can simply have the effect of making the problems happen faster!
The obsession with IT as the solution to every major business issue is compounded by the marketing departments and sales people of software developers selling it as such. Until executives address the underlying processes first, we will continue to see streams of failed, expensive IT projects.
Addressing the real problem
To take a process approach to the problem, we need to understand (in some depth) the informal processes carried out every day by employees. These are not
I being employer believe that our real assets/customers are our employees. It means, if our employees are satisfied they will automatically be loyal to the company, which ultimately leads to growth and development of the company.Meeting the demands of today’s changing environment requires building and retaining satisfied, loyal, and motivated staff. In this competitive work environment, workers are no longer inclined to stay at one position or in one company for the entire duration of their career. The
"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
Andy Rooney, US news commentator (1919 - )
I wouldn't go as far as the above comment, however there is an element of truth in it.
Typically the IT implementation is seen as the solution to the particular problem (or problems) being addressed, but this is rarely the case. Often the introduction of an IT "solution" can compound a problem as there is now less opportunity for the human intervention that previously stopped problems from becoming crises.
The problems usually lie in the business processes (both formal and informal), irrespective of whether these are carried out by computers or human beings. Automating these processes can simply have the effect of making the problems happen faster!
The obsession with IT as the solution to every major business issue is compounded by the marketing departments and sales people of software developers selling it as such. Until executives address the underlying processes first, we will continue to see streams of failed, expensive IT projects.
Addressing the real problem
To take a process approach to the problem, we need to understand (in some depth) the informal processes carried out every day by employees. These are not
Not all questions you are asked in an interview will be logical ones that are directly related to the job itself.Remember, we all have a different personality and some hiring managers you speak with might be a bit unconventional.Some questions are asked just to gauge your reaction to them!Some individual hiring managers and some companies might ask legal interview questions that could be described as trick questions or stress questions that are used to test your ability to think on your fe
The problems usually lie in the business processes (both formal and informal), irrespective of whether these are carried out by computers or human beings. Automating these processes can simply have the effect of making the problems happen faster!
The obsession with IT as the solution to every major business issue is compounded by the marketing departments and sales people of software developers selling it as such. Until executives address the underlying processes first, we will continue to see streams of failed, expensive IT projects.
Addressing the real problem
To take a process approach to the problem, we need to understand (in some depth) the informal processes carried out every day by employees. These are not
With the popularity of makeover shows on television, it is apparent that people are eager to make cosmetic changes in their lives. But what would happen if a coach approached you on the street and offered you a makeover? What would you want to change?Most individuals would jump at the chance for a career makeover. How many of you are really working in a job that is aligned with your passion? Can you say that you love what you are doing and do you get excited about getting up in the morning to go to work
Addressing the real problem
To take a process approach to the problem, we need to understand (in some depth) the informal processes carried out every day by employees. These are not the processes that managers think they carry out, and are rarely as laid out in the ideal world of an ISO manual. We regularly find, when working with clients' employees, that managers are unaware of a large percentage of the processes carried out in ensuring that the job gets done. This is not a criticism of the managers - the level of information overload that this would involve would render them ineffective.
Working with employees so that they can map out their processes in this level of detail and re-engineer them to resolve the perceived problems can have a radical effect with no IT expenditure.
Targeted IT Expenditure
So far I have probably given the impression that I have a "downer" on IT. This could not be further from the truth - the problem I have is with the way IT expenditure is usually approached, and the problems that this approach creates.
Having addressed the process issues, IT expenditure can then be used to facilitate the new process, targeting those areas that would benefit most and significantly multiplying the benefits of the process improvement exercise itself. This expenditure can often be in entirely different areas to those originally envisaged.
At Feechan Consulting, we are now starting to work with enlightened software vendors who understand that it is in their interests to ensure that the client purchases an appropriate solution, rather than simply what they have to sell, as they inevitably take on some of the risk of failure.
Conclusion
Organisations have benefited greatly from IT investments over recent decades and will continue to do so. However, the risks attached to these investments are significantly reduced (and the resulting benefits significantly magnified) if the underlying, informal processes are address
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