| "We just invested more than 200,000 Euro into this | | | | system that requires discipline to enter lots of data is |
| new IT solution, but we didn't get much in return!" is a | | | | often subject to fail. Here we are talking for instance |
| typical phrase of our clients. My list of IT projects that | | | | purchasing modules of ERP system where buyers still |
| companies invested while failing to achieve planned | | | | continue to buy through a paper process, CRM |
| benefits is getting longer and longer. For many | | | | systems where sales and service teams don't update |
| companies, promising IT initiatives started with beautiful | | | | customer events properly, or any kind of Content, |
| sales presentations which made decision makers | | | | Document or Knowledge Management solutions, that |
| become excited and hope that the solution will address | | | | don't contain enough valuable information so that users |
| many of their problems. But in the end, the ambitious | | | | don't take efforts to assess the system. |
| initiatives became a taboo topic within the organization | | | | What went wrong in most of these project is that the |
| because original objectives haven't been met and the | | | | user perspective has been neglected during the |
| new system is underutilized. After failure employees | | | | planning phase. Design teams must consider potential |
| may blame limitations of the system, but if we look | | | | barriers of people to make use of the system. These |
| deeper into the reasons for failure we often realize, | | | | aspects could be value provided to users, user |
| that it was the people that made the new system fail. | | | | capabilities, time and efforts required to make it work, |
| Here some examples. A company deployed a mobile | | | | and soft factors such as perceived management |
| solution for their service teams to make their work | | | | control and current working style and working culture. |
| more efficient and reduce fraud through better activity | | | | Even the reasoning that this solution is being used |
| tracking. The system even could track the location of | | | | successfully by your competitor, doesn't necessarily |
| the service teams. During the deployment stage, the | | | | mean that it's good for you. Success strongly depends |
| company experienced lots of mobile devices being | | | | on the actual people using the system. |
| destroyed "accidentally". People probably didn't feel | | | | Therefore, before you even buy a solution, put |
| comfortable about being tracked and some eventually | | | | yourself in the shoes of the future users of the |
| feared to lose 'under the table' income streams. Other | | | | system. Certainly, the sales presentation of the |
| examples, frequently seen, are sophisticated Business | | | | software vendor will appear to be very compelling to |
| Intelligence and Reporting solutions. In some cases, the | | | | you, but would your users think the same? Do they |
| data quality was so poor that users rejected the new | | | | have the time, skills, motivation to learn and use such |
| system from day one. In other cases, the system was | | | | system? You may even want to involve users into the |
| either very user unfriendly or left a lot of room for | | | | decision process to get a better idea of change |
| data misinterpretation. | | | | management risks of implementing such solutions. |
| Again, rejection of the system by users. The most | | | | IT systems can add a lot of value to companies if |
| common problem with this kind of systems is | | | | they are planned out well for your specific |
| however, that users don't know how to analyze and | | | | organizational environment and brought to users |
| interpret the provided information for better decision | | | | through the appropriate amount of change |
| making. If you'd talk to users of existing Business | | | | management. Do the extra efforts of considering the |
| Intelligence solutions, you would probably find out that | | | | people aspects of technology solutions. It may save |
| many reports are rarely used, and in some cases, the | | | | you lots of money and avoid disappointments about |
| system is often not utilized at all. Furthermore, any | | | | ineffective investments. |