It is important that we are all making the right technology/systems choices. This is especially true given the recovering economy due to the Pandemic. We have no room for error. The technology we invest in needs to support us to reach our and our employee’s goals. Luckily, project management helps ensure we’re investing in the right fit. The catch? To be most effective, you need to use project management/managers from the initial planning phase. Read below to learn three key areas project management aids in the planning and implementation of technology/systems:
Key Business Problems
Chasing the new shiny toy of technology is easy. But trust us – you don’t want to do that. You want to make sure your technology/system is the right one for you, because your needs are different than others. Even within the same industry, your needs will vary from your competitors. When you utilize project management during the planning + implementation of your new system/technology, you are ensuring you are making the right choice. How? Project management ensures during planning that you have accounted for all stakeholders involved, business areas impacted, etc. It also helps you determine which business practices/policies are needed moving forward, which are duplicative, and which ones are hurting you. Project management accomplishes all of this by starting at your business problems vs. your business goals and working backward to get to your solutions.
Longevity
We can all agree that technology/system investments are pricy. And we want them to be effective for a long time, not just a year or two. Project management and planning are keys to achieving this because it helps you think strategically. Project managers assist you in thinking beyond your current issues. What are your true goals? What does your ideal business look like? You need to think big to make sure your system/technology will help you get to where you want to go and beyond vs. make it harder to reach your goals. You also need to break your long-term goals into smaller, manageable pieces. A good project manager will help you do this by the following aspects: stakeholder involvement, goal prioritization, and deliverable identification.
Organization
Keeping a technology/system project organized, especially during the implementation, is hard work. There are so many players involved, from your staff to the vendors staff, it can be chaos. And having a bad implementation is a sign for disasters to come. Project managers helps you avoid this, because they take ownership of organizing and managing the entire implementation process. They start from the ground up and assess where and how a new system can be useful. Throughout the process they hold vendors accountable and your team accountable, ensuring tasks are completed on time and in the right order. At QuantumMark, we often say that the reason we are so valuable is because we “speak” both client and vendor. The truth is, you need someone who can be your advocate assess what needs to be prioritized with a removed perspective and project managers do just that.
Hiring outside project management professionals for the planning and implementation of a technology/system project is the best thing you can do. It will truly improve all areas: timelines, goals, budgets, and project success. Project managers assist you to make sure your investment is the right one, and that you are setup for success once the system/technology is implemented.