For many years, businesses were in awe of technology advancements. The latest technology or innovative device with a certain capability became the focus of attention, an object of great hope and the project of the year for IT to deploy. However, technology advancements are now coming in waves and the convergence of systems and technologies coupled with complex business needs have made the sequential planning, funding, and deployment of single technologies a thing of the past. Technology for technology’s sake has lost its luster and businesses are caught in a much more urgent, complex game of engineering, integrating and deploying entire systems of technologies that transform the business to operate in the rapidly evolving world.
Today, solutions are nothing if not purpose built. They are designed, configured, deployed and supported to meet specific, often extremely complex business objectives. This is a much more complicated, more strategic endeavor than simply identifying a technology and deploying it.
Here are three tips for successfully implementing complex, purpose-built solutions that breathe life into your business.
- Outline business objectives – This seems like a simple task, but is where many project fail. Instead of listing the objective as “automate back end,” get specific. “We need to automate order picking, packing and sorting to reduce human error and speed orders processed per hour." Don’t simply choose a technology because it’s what “everyone else” has. Select a combination of technologies based on your unique processes, capabilities and space configuration.
- Consider how systems will integrate with existing infrastructure – Starting from scratch with all new technologies is rarely possible. Identify existing infrastructure and technologies already in place that can be leveraged toward your goal. For example, can you redeploy IP cameras from closed locations to serve in dark stores or warehouses?
- Consider maintenance and management – Deployment is only the first step. Ongoing maintenance of systems is critical. Consider putting a service level agreement in place with one or more vendors to ensure access to help desk, proactive maintenance or repair services when needed. Because these systems are critical to your operation, downtime is not just inconvenient – it’s crippling.
With these tips in mind, you can better ensure the success of your next technology system implementation. Explore Telaid’s Solution Design Services to see how we can help you engineer just the right solution to meet your needs.
