It’s ironic that as a software industry professional, I rarely reach first for a technological solution when confronted with a business problem. A slightly heretical approach, but after all these years of seeing the intersection of “same ol” and “shiny, new vendor-provided solution” yielding unsuccessful results, I’m entitled to a less-than-enthusiastic perspective.
Don’t mistake my dubious view of the technology as a slight on its usefulness within the enterprise. As Amazon.com, FedEx, Macy’s, and most modern companies will attest, their businesses couldn’t possibly run without technology. It’s not that I won’t recommend or use technology extensively, but it’s not the first tool I grab when trying to implement a fix.
The best technology in the world won’t produce any value (and may make things worse) if people and process are not first aligned. With the best of intentions, people demand a technology-based solution, either a CRM, an ERP, or so on. The problem with a “technology-first” approach is the underlying problems are often overlooked, and the shiny new system doesn’t address the core inefficiency issues that got them looking at an outside solution in the first place. The technology may make things worse as the underlying issues are complicated by the additional overhead of adopting the not-so-miraculous solution.
Bottom-line: introducing technology into the problem space without understanding the people and processes first can compound the initial problem. Technology can make a good process better, but only if you’ve worked out the kinks in who’s doing the work and how it’s getting done. As I said earlier, most modern companies simply have no business without technology, and many would operate with huge loses in efficiency and optimization without complex technological solutions. Yet, implementing 21st century, complex technology without a clear, comprehensive view of the process is like building a skyscraper with a hand-drawn sketch.
