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Tech Trap No. 5 — Enough Time and Resources
Have Been Allocated
Editor’s Note: Following is the fifth of our ten part series called “Technology Traps
and Mishaps,” by Fred Ode, CEO, chairman and founder of Foundation Software.
Hi honey, I’m home!
The last time my
family and I moved
was in 1991 during the
most hectic time of my
career. I was juggling many jobs for
my growing business, and moving
day was no exception. I was traveling
to Detroit and back to make
some sales calls that day, so my wife
handled the move by herself with
two small kids in tow. When I arrived
home that night to our new address,
I naively mentioned how great it was
to be all moved in. That, of course,
was a serious misjudgment.
Remember your last move? The
process leading to it was exciting and
stressful and very time-consuming—
then came time for the move itself.
It was a blur of packing and boxing
and supervising the hired moving
guys. (Hopefully you did hire moving
guys!) And then, bam, you were in
your new home. But, do you remember
how long it took to get settled?
Implementing new technology,
after the hard work of finding just
the right product, is a lot like moving.
You’ve done your research, you’ve
weighed your options, and you’ve
located the perfect system that you
believe will carry your business to
the next level. Unfortunately, most
people tend to rush the move and
underestimate how long the “unpacking stage" will take to get their new
product running efficiently.
The weeks and months following
a new technology purchase is often
the most critical stage. As flawless
as your research and selection
processes may have been, there is
no guarantee that the implementation
process will sail along without
a hitch, especially if you have
neglected to allocate enough time
and resources.
Set a Realistic Timeframe
Let’s assume that you have chosen
the best technology solution for
your business objectives. And let’s
assume you have tested the product,
checked references and made
certain it fits your specific needs.
Congratulations! But now, before
that software is shipped or you take
delivery of the product, your new
assignment is to develop a feasible
implementation plan.
Most software vendors will
oversee the implementation of business
software, but there are things
that owners or managers should do
to minimize risks and simplify the
process. First, ask questions and consider
what is involved. Implementing
a new accounting software program,
for example, will involve the transfer
of historical data. But how exactly is
this done? Is it manual data entry,
or can it be automated? Perhaps the
number of jobs or vendors in your
current system will affect how long
the process will take. Depending
on your technology solution, there
are many variables that may affect
initial setup and implementation, as
well as the time it takes to complete
these tasks.
Training and user support are
other key areas that must be scheduled
realistically (and, of course,
should have weighed heavily in
the decision-making process). But
even before setting a timetable, you
must make sure that employees will
embrace the new system. Chances
are, if you have chosen a product
that will vastly improve efficiency
and save time, most new users will
be eager to use it. More time may
be needed, however, if you have
less-than motivated employees, or
perhaps someone who has a low aptitude
for learning something new.
The key to a workable timetable
comes down to “time.”
Underestimating how long training
will take is a common—and costly—
mistake. It’s simply unrealistic to
expect employees to learn a new
system in a day or two of training,
especially if these new users must
cover their ongoing duties at the
same time. Without a clear message
from management that training is
important, an employee will simply
decide, “I don’t have time for this,”
and will give up on the solution
before even trying it. From my own
experience, I know this is true. Back
in the early 1980s, the construction
company I worked for installed
word processing software on every computer. Over a year later, we
learned that almost no one knew how
to use it. I immediately put a training
program into effect, which consisted
of one-hour sessions each week for
about six weeks. This may seem like
overkill today, but considering this
was “leading-edge” technology back
then, it was absolutely necessary.
And it worked!
Set a Realistic Budget
The total cost of your new technology
product is usually not limited
to a one-time purchase price. More
sophisticated programs will likely
include maintenance fees as well. But
do these costs include regular updates
to the program? Do they cover unlimited
tech support? And what about
costs for adding new users, additional
modules or customized training?
Assuming that you are dealing with
a respected and reputable vendor,
devising a realistic budget should
be easy. A good company will make
every effort to give you ALL costs
up front and won’t make promises that
they can’t keep. Unfortunately, I’ve
heard from far too many contractors
who have abandoned new technology
products because the costs escalated
out of control or the product they
received was nothing at all like the
one promised. Sorting through the
competition is tough, but ultimately,
it is the owner’s job to find the vendor
that cares as much about the long term
relationship as the short-term
sale.
It’s been fifteen years since we
moved from our last home…and yes,
we are all moved in and settled. But
whenever the subject arises, (never
by me) I am reminded (usually by my
wife) that expectations and reality
are often years apart. And when it
comes to significant investments,
such as technology, trying to rush
the move will only put you further
behind.
Fred Ode is the CEO/chairman of
Foundation Software, developer of construction
job cost accounting software
called FOUNDATION for Windows. For
further information on FOUNDATION
for Windows, visit www.foundationsoft.com.
Fred Ode can be reached directly
by phone at 800.246.0800 or e-mail
fred@foundationsoft.com.
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