The evolution of information systems – How to choose the right management software consciously
The IT offering of management software for businesses is as vast as ever, featuring numerous players, from large, world-scale players to smaller ones who also operate on a regional or even provincial scale.
Huge is not only the audience of players, but also the range of products offered, which is constantly evolving: ranging from Artificial Intelligence, to IOT for Smart Factories, from data management systems (Big Data) to Blockchain, to Cloud Computing and the attached Cybersecurity tools. The offering is also broad in the level of specialization of available products, with many software houses specializing on specific processes, allowing integration with other solutions to create complex architectures.
Roncucci&Partners’ target market is made up of Small and Medium Enterprises, and we know what difficulties an entrepreneur encounters in finding his or her way through this “thicket” of offerings.
The fatigue concerns the ability to translate a need, often felt, and perhaps long unspoken, in terms of lack of adequate or ill-timed information in production management, into sketchy and not very rigorous processes, fragmented and hardly repetitive. It may be a need that is perceived, for example, in missed opportunities, when the tools supporting sales are inadequate in tracking opportunities and monitoring sales force activity.
Many companies have been able to exploit the incentives associated with Industry 4.0, but they have not always been able to structure a system downstream of the production process to maximize the use of data and derive adequate and organic data reporting systems from it, so the need for an organic process and data management system remains.
Finding the right vendor, the right product with respect to the real need, structuring an overall architecture consistent with the needs and with a budget compatible with one’s capabilities, formulating choices for the long run that are difficult to reverse is a daunting task for many Italian realities, which often do not even have the appropriate skills to orient themselves in the best way.
Based on the Roncucci&Partners’ experience, here you can find some suggestions that arise from the experience of working alongside many companies in the process of updating their processes:
1) Do not rush, take the time and resources to dig deeper – The technology partner will be by the enterprise’s side for several years, if not decades. Acquiring a solution that will be adopted by the enterprise will, in some cases, present such a burden that any new migration will be discouraged in case of dissatisfaction. It is necessary to take the time to make the best choice that will affect the future of the enterprise.
2) Before looking outside, look inside – Changing information systems is not just about choosing the best system provider. The first step in the process is to identify the needs that drive a system change and to properly define the desiderata, that is, the functional performance that the new system should have.
A correct approach to transformation requires, upstream, a careful analysis of existing processes and an accurate definition of the new set-up of future processes.
It goes without saying that a prior knowledge of what is to be achieved by the new systems is an enabling factor in the digital transformation process, as it makes it possible to avoid:
– Overall installation costs exceeding the budget – Where a priori one does not know exactly what one wants to achieve, the transformation path is clearly less linear and more uncertain in time and cost.
– Partial quotation by the supplier of the technological solution – If the supplier has to adapt the selected system to the functional needs of the customer, it is clear that where these are not clear, the quotation can only be indicative and susceptible to ex post adjustments should requests emerge that are not defined upstream.
– Partial Software Selection – We rely on one or more demos from software houses showing the functionality of the system. An upstream definition of the requirements (functionality required by the applications) allows a focused analysis and evaluation on the performance of the software and allows in the contracting phase with the supplier to specify the required performance by obtaining a more certain quotation.
3) Engage, engage, structure teams – The landing place of a digital transformation journey, as inherent in the expression itself, is a redefinition of the way all employees work. Finding an appropriate way of involvement so that the broadest audience is aware of the benefits that can result and actively participates in defining the required functionality is another enabling factor for the success of the overall project, which should not be overlooked in the least. Change management skills will be needed to get the right motivation and involvement of those who will one day be the main users of the new systems.
Roncucci&Partners can provide support along all phases of the overall path, clearly not replacing the system integrator or software house, but supporting client companies in the functional components and upstream phases of the digital transformation process, i.e., those that, in the writer’s opinion, are the most decisive for the success of the path.
Gabriele Anzalone
