Demystifying Complex Technology: A Strategic Approach

Technology today is more complex than ever. New features and capabilities are continuously layered on top of existing systems, making them difficult to understand and support. This complexity can be a barrier to bringing new people into technical fields and fully leveraging investments in technology.

To unleash the full potential of technology, we need strategies to cut through the complexity and simplify it into understandable components. Here are some proven strategies for demystifying technology:

Record and Observe The first step is to record processes and observe what is actually happening, not just perceptions and assumptions. Capturing interactions and reactions on video reveals the reality of how people are using the technology.

Reflect Without Judgement

Next, reflect on the recordings without judgment to deeply understand the fundamentals of how the technology works. The goal is to learn, not to evaluate compliance.

Explain the Why and How Explain why each component of the technology is important. Identify where key decisions are made and what information is needed to make them. Answering the “why” and “how” questions gets to the essence.

Prove and Demonstrate

Leverage lab resources to prove out and demonstrate simplified processes and workflows. This validates understanding and proficiency.

Iterate If something cannot be simplified further, it needs more iteration. The goal is to break things down to their absolute fundamentals.

Capture Knowledge

Document simplifications and improvements in “knowledge bytes” that can be combined like Lego pieces to build skills.

Continuous Improvement Take a lifecycle view of continuously evaluating and improving processes to incorporate learnings.

The complexity of technology can seem impenetrable. But with a systematic, strategic approach focused on simplification, recording, reflection, validation, and iteration, we can break down barriers and enable fuller understanding and mastery. What aspects of technology should be demystified in your organization?