The People, Process, Technology Puzzle
Posted by Sannoble in Strategic PlanningToday’s buzz words are People, Process, and Technology. To reach business goals, each must be addressed and each must be appropriate. So, what does that mean? And, how do the puzzle pieces fit together?
This thing called Technology
Technology consists of hardware and software. The wrong technology decision has the boomerang effect of adding stress to the process and people components. Large companies are able to throw resources, usually money, at the problem to make things work. Smaller companies don’t often have that luxury, so they have to endure the pain. The smaller the company, the more risk you take on by not making an appropriate selection.
Do you have the right cost effective hardware?
Example: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is all the rage and in some cases may be required or mandated by others in your supply chain. But in may cases a bar code solution that you may already have could suffice.
Is your software appropriate for your organization or company?
Example: You may have chosen the name brand software solution that covers all the basic functions and works well for most companies. But perhaps you’re in a specialized industry where a more targeted solution would be most appropriate.
A look at Process
Often business look to technology to solve a process problem. Sometimes this works. Technology companies try to incorporate best practice processes into their products. Modifying your processes to work with the technology can bring about improvement of your processes.
On the other side of the coin, a thorough understanding of your current processes can help you make better technology decisions. Surely there is wisdom in lots of your processes. But like anything that has been modified and enhanced over time, it probably is less efficient than it would have been it the current / future state had been planned for in the beginning.
Is the corporate strategy clearly articulated and understood by all? This drives your organizational structure, your products, your processes and your technology.
People are Pivotal
You have the technology and you have the processes, but nothing happens unless they are utilized by people. There are lots of debates about the attainability of a return on investment for an ERP system. Reasons that ROI may seem elusive are:
