Future Foundation: Planning Your Company’s Tech Evolution

Cutting-edge technology alone won’t differentiate whether or not your business grows or maintains status quo. How that technology is used is crucial and goes beyond training staff in its day-to-day operation. Companies often set goals for the quarter or the fiscal year. They may even have a five-year strategic plan, but if technology isn’t incorporated into that plan, these advanced tools aren’t fulfilling all of their potential to boost your business.

But how to begin? Sometimes companies put off making decisions about technology because of the size of the investment and the logistics of implementation. IT planning isn’t an insurmountable obstacle if you break it down into a few core components.

Roadmap

Think of your IT plan like a map. Your current operations are the starting point. What’s your final destination? Maybe you want to increase productivity by 20%, expand your existing client base, or increase energy efficiency. With a goal in mind, you can begin to map out how to get there. Will your current hardware, software, and network infrastructure get you where you want to be or will they need significant upgrades in two, five, or ten years? Prioritize the upgrades that are the most pressing or logistically make sense. The paths may diverge and overlap but should finally arrive at the same place at the right time. 

Resources

You know what you want the company to achieve. Now you just have to figure out how to make it happen. To most business owners, money is the first resource that needs to be in place to execute a strategic IT plan. Technology represents an investment that will hopefully pay for itself in more sales or more efficiency over time. Completing a technology plan in phases rather than trying to implement massive changes all at once allows time to allocate adequate funds and minimizes stress for staff, the other resource to consider. Do you have the right people in place to pull off your IT plan or will you need to hire some outside consultants? Beyond that, will changes in your IT infrastructure necessitate long-term changes to personnel. Your IT plan should attempt to forecast how departments may be expanded or consolidated. Get input from the people who work for you about what they need.

Realism

Remember to keep your goals grounded. Overreaching with unrealistic expectations creates frustration for all levels of a business and can result in time and money wasted on projects that don’t further your overall mission. Technology is science, not magic. One device or piece may not completely revolutionize your productivity. What’s actually applicable to your business: Internet of Things (IoT), data and analytics, machine learning? If money is no object, then by all means shoot for the moon. Chances are you will have a set amount of financial and human capital to execute your technology plan. Set a clear timeline with a distinct endpoint for your goals to keep everyone on task, but keep it flexible to accommodate unexpected challenges.

With the basic building blocks in place, your technology plan will begin to flesh out as stakeholders communicate what they need and tasks are assigned to begin what will hopefully be an exciting and rewarding process. And as always, CMIT Solutions of Clayton is ready to provide your company with the level of assistance you need to develop an IT plan and bring it to fruition.