How you can integrate the business processes with technology?

Business Analyst | 13 December, 2018 (Thursday)View 2283

Technology is great if it works. Meaning you have technologies but if you do not get what you need from those, it’s valueless and waste. You can think a technology which will solve the challenges you are facing in your Business and make your business better, faster and more efficient. Now the question is how to choose the right technology?

Three important Parts need to be considered:

Every business Organization has three important parts.

People
Business Process
Technologies

Without first two you ever never achieve third one. So before thinking about information technology, you have to consider to your People & Business Process. The bitter truth is that the technology is not the only solution. Without aligning People & Business Process, Technology cannot work as technology is a tool to automate the Process which will help people to organize their tasks efficiently. No solution is complete without changing Business policies, procedures, workflows, responsibilities and performance measures.

For example, you have big business Organization and want to buy Warehouse Management software to control Inventory. But your Organization does not have

Inventory Control team to track & analyze the inventory to maintain the right level of stock in Warehouse.
Standard material receives, issue, transaction process.
Stores are not organized to support all real time inventory transactions.
Store people are not well educated in processes and they are unable to execute system.

In this situation, if Warehouse Management system is deployed, all messes will be automated. People will complain about system as it is not fit for the current processes. At the end system will fail to control warehousing processes and you will not be able to control your inventory as well as cost. Your million dollars investment will be a waste.

How to align Software with Business Process & People

Bellow points are needed to fit software with Business process & People

Map full AS-IS processes
Do Gap analysis between what’s going on and what should be
Identify potential business process improvements
Map TO-BE processes
Leverage best practices
Define Change impacts to people
Identity proper technology
Align top management with changes
Train & educate people on new processes and technologies

So first build your Organization’s people and improve the business process. Then think about the technology to support the people & process. Otherwise a big investment for technology will fail to provide the desired output to control your time & cost of Business.