Ensuring a successful systems implementation
Systems and technology are truly wonderous; there are almost unlimited possibilities and opportunities for making our lives better. However, most organisations pursuing new technology can't describe a successful outcome for their last system implementation (new CRM system anyone?), which begs the following questions - what is going wrong? And why would things be different this time?
Many organisations implement new systems with the aims of becoming more efficient, and to reduce the errors in their work. Unfortunately, their starting position is with poor, error-prone, undocumented, and non-standardised processes and data. It is assumed that implementing a system will fix this. It won't! And in the bottom of your heart, you know it won’t!
If you start designing a system around poor, non-standardised ways of working, or simply design your system around how things 'should work' (but the reality is that they have never worked that way), your system implementation will fail.
Bill Gates summed this up best when he said:
"The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency."
You must have robust, value-adding processes and working practices in place BEFORE you introduce any technological enhancement to drive further efficiencies.
Whilst most organisations know how to implement an IT system, they don't know how to design good processes and change the way people do things day-to-day. So, what happens is decision makers put their heads in the sand and pretend that millions spent (wasted) on IT systems are justified because they perceive that not having the systems puts them 'behind the curve'.
You've probably heard the phrase, 'no one gets fired for hiring McKinsey.' Well, it seems no-one gets fired for rolling out MS Dynamics.
It's time to call out and change these practices.
If you are implementing an IT system and you haven't already got good working processes and practices in place, you are wasting money. If you are in the public, charity or not-for profit sectors then it’s not money from shareholders' pockets you're wasting, it’s money from taxpayers, tenants, donors, or members of the public.
The digital angle plays an important part of any transformation, but it’s an enabler of better services, not the objective of your transformation. Read that sentence again and let it really sink in. Anyone who has a digital transformation underway now needs to take a step back and ask themselves, “what is the driver for the ‘digital’ transformation?” and then consider re-naming their efforts. Please let us never see ‘implement AI’ as a blanket statement in a strategy document again!
‘Technology first’ is dead!
The new world, where we can better utilise the capabilities that technology can offer, is to accept the tech for what it is, an enabler, and to take a purpose centric ‘service design’ view first.
If you want to do things the right way, we are here to be your accountability partners. Drop us an email at hello@ad-esse.com. If you want to examine why your transformations (of any kind) aren't landing, you can take our free transformation health-check here -->
