Today, every company wants to be at the forefront of using technology to solve problems. But in their hurry to implement a new solution, many organizations often overlook the critical first step – understanding and addressing the current state issues. This can result in a costly piece of technology, still not solving the problem it was purchased for, and instead, causing more confusion. This blog post explains why it is essential to address all of the current state issues before implementing a new technology solution.
It is crucial to understand that technology cannot be the only solution to business problems. If proper attention is not paid to resolve the real-world issues of an organization, then technology will be of no use, no matter how expensive it is. Before investing in any technology, one should analyze the current state of the business and identify areas where technology can have the most significant impact.
Investing in technology without assessing the current state can lead to a disastrous outcome. For instance, a company may purchase an expensive automation tool for their accounts payable department, but they might have ignored the fact that their accounts payable team is not following a standard process to manage vendor invoices. As a result, after the implementation of the automation tool, the accounts payable team may not be willing to adopt it because they are still stuck in manual processes.
In any technology project, the involvement of the right stakeholders is essential for its success. But it is equally important to ensure that these key stakeholders have a clear understanding of the current state of the business. Many decision-makers in a company tend to provide feedback based on what they think they know, instead of taking the time to gather evidence-based feedback on how the system performs in practice. This disconnect leads to an incomplete and misleading interpretation of the current state of business processes.
In many cases, implementing technology leads to a phenomenon called technology debt. This is when businesses have too many systems that are not integrated, leading to more confusion and more problems. A more efficient solution would be to identify and eliminate manual or redundant processes before implementing technology. It is also essential to address any shadow IT where departments are using random software that may not be compatible with other parts of the organization, thus causing data discrepancies.
In conclusion, when it comes to incorporating technology, businesses should take a step back and analyze their current state before investing large amounts of money in technological solutions. Understanding the complete operations and associated departmental processes will help to identify potential issues that may arise with the implementation of technology solutions. One-way organizations can combat technology debt and integration issues by implementing proper data governance processes and breaking down department silos. Therefore, businesses should ensure a thorough analysis of their current state before identifying potential technological solutions to meet their needs. If you are a forward-thinking business leader that truly wants to stop the bleeding bottom line, book a consultation with one of our experts today. We can help you fix it once.
