So where did the conversation around assessing technology productivity go?  We decided to take a step back and evaluate their business for how people work as well as the tools they use to get the job done.  In short, we started with a couple of basic ideas.

To set some context it should be noted that the conversation had started while we were talking about SharePoint and the information challenges they have.  I was sitting in front of a small company that is beginning to realize some challenges around information:

• What are the other areas of the business up to?
• How are they performing?
• Why do I have dig around various systems to get the information I need to make decisions?

As the conversation developed I realized that I've heard this theme at companies with tens of thousands of employees.  The obvious difference was that I was hearing it at a company with about 10 employees.  And if you are the kind of person that fervently believes that your organization is different from everyone else's organization I've got some news for you: When it comes to people, and how they share information, you are more similar than you are dissimilar to other organizations.  Yes, you have unique products and services, and to some extent processes that have been refined within your context.  But people are people, and your organization relies on people to get the job done.  Believe it not but people tend to communicate in ways that are familiar regardless of company or industry (and to a certain extent even culture).

But I digress.  With the realization that they had questions around collaboration, aka getting the right information at the right time, we started to explore possibilities.  With an understanding of the people and processes within their organization I reasoned that we would be better positioned to understand the potential impact any technology may have on their quest to master their current collaborative mess. 

To set the stage I sketched the following graphic.  I wanted to explain the various ways in which we can look (or fail to look) at technology and its impact to the business.

The key point is that any time you look at technology you should be seeking to understand the impact to the customer or business while minimizing the risk to the business of implementing said technology.  If the depth is high and the impact low you should ask the question 'why?'  Ideally you are looking to technology as a no-brainer proposition.  And in some cases you may consider technology in the context of a Strategic Vision.

The next big question then concerned the impact to the customer.  And out of respect for the length of this blog I will finish of by asking a question.  How can you possibly get a realistic understanding of the impact to the customer if you don't understand how the business works and behaves?

So where did the conversation around assessing technology productivity go?  We decided to take a step back and evaluate their business for how people work as well as the tools they use to get the job done.  In short, we started with a couple of basic ideas.

To set some context it should be noted that the conversation had started while we were talking about SharePoint and the information challenges they have.  I was sitting in front of a small company that is beginning to realize some challenges around information:

• What are the other areas of the business up to?
• How are they performing?
• Why do I have dig around various systems to get the information I need to make decisions?

As the conversation developed I realized that I've heard this theme at companies with tens of thousands of employees.  The obvious difference was that I was hearing it at a company with about 10 employees.  And if you are the kind of person that fervently believes that your organization is different from everyone else's organization I've got some news for you: When it comes to people, and how they share information, you are more similar than you are dissimilar to other organizations.  Yes, you have unique products and services, and to some extent processes that have been refined within your context.  But people are people, and your organization relies on people to get the job done.  Believe it not but people tend to communicate in ways that are familiar regardless of company or industry (and to a certain extent even culture).

But I digress.  With the realization that they had questions around collaboration, aka getting the right information at the right time, we started to explore possibilities.  With an understanding of the people and processes within their organization I reasoned that we would be better positioned to understand the potential impact any technology may have on their quest to master their current collaborative mess. 

To set the stage I sketched the following graphic.  I wanted to explain the various ways in which we can look (or fail to look) at technology and its impact to the business.

The key point is that any time you look at technology you should be seeking to understand the impact to the customer or business while minimizing the risk to the business of implementing said technology.  If the depth is high and the impact low you should ask the question 'why?'  Ideally you are looking to technology as a no-brainer proposition.  And in some cases you may consider technology in the context of a Strategic Vision.

The next big question then concerned the impact to the customer.  And out of respect for the length of this blog I will finish of by asking a question.  How can you possibly get a realistic understanding of the impact to the customer if you don't understand how the business works and behaves?