It is no secret that technology is the backbone of an efficient business. It can be the key to moving forward quickly and staying there, but finding the right tech for your business needs is not easy. It is important that you choose the right technology and have a good support team to integrate the new systems, troubleshoot and maintain, as well as teach them to you and your staff. This post is going to highlight a method of understanding and implicating your integration needs.
Analyze Your Needs
To be able to identify your technology needs, you or your business manager must first take a step back and map out the company goals. What future do you see for your company? How can technology help you get there? What tech do you already have in place working for you? Be fearless and bold when drafting up this plan, it is better to have all ideas on the table before you move forward than to have a nagging idea that you didn’t put down.
The next part of this step will be to ask an expert of their opinions and suggestions. Your accountant and IT support team would be the first chats to be made here. You want to first know what the budget can allow before you get the highlighter out. No need to be making all these plans with IT only to have them shot down by a smaller budget than you anticipated.
Map Out the Plan
Once accounting has cleared your path and you have dived into tech specifics with your IT director, it is time to define and narrow down the nature of your integration channel. How will you implicate these new changes? Here are some ways to consider (Source: eLearning Industry):
• Instructional Coaches – This could be a person from the company that produces your new tech. Maybe they have a business development specialist who can run a demo for your team and walk them through any questions or concerns.
• Workshops for Staff Development – This can fall under continuing education where online courses or instructors are made available, either internally, or provided by another resource.
• Digital Resources for Self-Guided Professional Development – This method is cheapest and the least involved but provides a form of assistance for those who need it.
Make Sure it’s Kosher
Once you have a plan mapped out as well as money and specs solidified, it is time to discuss these integrations with the powers that be. Are you the powers that be? Do you have a partner? Or a group of investors involved? Now would be the time to pitch your proposal to them and see if they are on board with your new solutions.
Here is where you prepare for any negative feedback or lack of interest and fight back with your supporting points. A helpful way of doing this could be to organize a meeting with stakeholders to gain their interests and desires for the business and see how your integration plan can fit those needs and desires. This way you come in hot, with a plan of attack.
Technology is a huge factor to consider when going into business. Making sure you have the right tech to fit your company’s needs as well as a plan of attack, will be the determining factor of success and how quickly you make it there. Is now the time for you to consider integrating technologies within your organization? It is definitely an evaluation worth making.
