|
| If you would like to download the Adobe Acrobat version of the Follow the Process article please click on the link below... |
|
|
|
This paper was written by John McCarthy and reflects his views on the successful implementation of IT in a business.
Is IT in your business a help or hindrance?
Some business people still fall into the trap of assuming that investing in IT will automatically bring benefits. This article looks at what, in the author’s view, are some of the issues which need to be considered when investing in technology for your business and why he suggests there’s more to successful implementation of IT than technology.
It can be generally accepted that the reason that any of us are in business is to supply a quality product or service at a competitive price in order to generate a profit for our business. This in turn provides us with the rewards which make doing business worthwhile. If this definition is accepted then it can be assumed that it is the responsibility of the management of a business to maintain this competitiveness and profitability by whatever means are at their disposal. One of the ‘means’ which is available to them is Information Technology. Through the strategic deployment of IT systems, it is possible to gain efficiencies which will help ensure that competitiveness and profitability are maintained. Technology is merely a means to an end not an end in itself.
A potent weapon in any business' arsenal is information. Having the information is only half the battle; making proper use of it is the real challenge. Just as the phrase ‘Information Technology’ implies, Information Systems, which are properly designed and implemented, will produce valuable information. In common with any other production process it needs raw material, and in this case the raw material is data. Information therefore does not just happen, but in this context, is the product of applying Information Technology to data, which must be entered into a computer system in a consistent fashion. Whilst this may appear to be stating the obvious, this consistency, or lack of it, is a major reason why Information Systems implementations fail.
For example if you set out to manufacture a widget you must assemble a known list of parts otherwise the widget produced will be deficient in some way. The same goes for information. If you want to produce reliable information then the raw material used must be consistent and be of the same quality each time.
IT systems implementations succeed however, when the following steps are successfully achieved:
• Systems Analysis
• System Development/Sourcing
• User Commitment to Procedures and Standards
• Training
• System Hand-over and Acceptance |
|
