Tail Wagging the Dog

Have you ever come across a business process that was being used regularly, which no one could remember why it was being done? To be more specific, a business process that did not make sense or bring value to the organization or its clients.

We recently ran into an interesting situation. A particular user was having issues with a report not formatting properly when being printed. The problem involved a report that was being used to print individual addresses on non-standard sized envelopes which were rather large. Each time the formatting would be off, several envelopes would be wasted. Additionally, the printing issue had existed for quite some time so clients were getting upset as these envelopes contained business materials they needed.

We went to work troubleshooting this specific issue and it came down to the fact that only a really old printer could support that size of envelope. The printer was no longer supported or recognized by the system. We were about to go into a phase of attempting several fixes, when we decided to step back and look at the overall business purpose for this process. When we asked the user why these envelopes were being used, the individual did not know. When we asked why the envelopes needed to be printed on directly on not using a label, the individual did not know. We asked further up the chain to find out that it didn't matter to anyone how the business materials were delivered just that they got to the clients.

The fix was actually not a fix but rather a change to the process where simple labels were used. This actually saved several steps in matching the materials with the package. In this process we actually questioned whether the business materials needed to be physically mailed or could they simply be made electronic and emailed. The opened up a beehive that will be addressed in another post.

This just illustrates that we need to step back some time and make sure that the process is not driving the business reason. This is the real value in a strategic IT consultant that acts as a partner.

The role of IT in company strategy

Every company large or small has a strategy, whether that strategy is explicit or simply implied through what the leadership sets as priorities. In today's business environment any business with a growth strategy cannot ignore technology's role in the strategy. There are many variables as to who, how and when IT expertise gets engaged in strategic discussions.

The simple truth is that the earlier the technology experts get engaged the better the result.

Excellent IT for everyone

I was just at my doctor's office getting my yearly physical, which went amazingly well and I am in great health. I am always surprised when I go there and see the nurse taking the appointments and payments working on an outdated computer system. I see this all the time and hear about various small to mid-sized business owners that are in the same situation. Typically I find that they do not have any IT support or if they do it is someone's cousin. There just isn't room in their tight budgets to allow for them to hire an excellent full-time IT professional. Even if they did, they would most likely end up with an individual that specializes in either hardware or software but not both. If their budget is small, they definitely would not end up with someone who could help them look at technology in a strategic manner.

These situations are unfortunate because technology can help an organization in many ways. A simple hardware upgrade with better network and servers can increase reliability and productivity. However, this is the least beneficial of advantages that technology can provide. To be quite honest this can be accomplished with a quick call to Dell or a stop at Best Buy and the Geek Squad. What is missing when using one of these services is the trusted partner that will help you think through and fully utilize the new hardware. Having a faster computer does not normally equate to more efficient processes or more reliable systems. These things take thought and strategy.