In our last posts we discussed five practical steps companies can take to unlock the value in critical remote information, as well as covering Step One. In this post we’ll discuss the second step which is to assess exactly how you will capture the remote information. This is the step most people miss. The information capture assessment is critical to ultimate success.
Start with identifying what it is you’re capturing. Is it exception reporting? Is it a sale or transaction record? Is it security status or fleet monitoring and tracking? Each of these is very different from one another and the solutions will be just as different.
We recommend three aspects to focus on when deciding how you will capture the remote information.
1. Technology – Do you know what the best technology is for your business and for each application? Will you know how to successfully apply it?
2. Organization and People – Do you have the right people in place to leverage the technology and consistently apply it in capturing the information?
3. Process – Do you have the processes in place for capturing and using the remote information? Or will you need to develop new processes?
The first of the three aspects, technology, is the obvious area and as mentioned, the one most organizations focus on almost exclusively. This is no surprise as most suppliers want to sell you the platform and the service, but may not spend the time becoming knowledgeable about your business and how you operate. Make sure whomever you partner with understands your company and can present technology recommendations in the context of your business. Avoid solutions that may be beyond your capability to maintain or even use. Look for simpler more practical solutions.
The second, organization and people is one of the more important aspects in capturing information. Efficacy and compliance of your solution in the hands of your people is one of the key contributing factors in assuring a successful project. Asking your workers to dramatically change the things they do on a daily basis is always a risk – remember, many people secretly reject change.
The manner in which you capture information should result in as little change as possible, especially in non-office environments where computer skills were never part of the job description. For initial implementations, keep it simple -- this will assure faster uptime and greater overall compliance with the new process.
Process is the third component. Ask yourself, are there existing processes in place that make it easier to capture the selected information or are they non-existent and will require development? Designing and deploying new business processes can certainly increase the risk of your project. Where possible, work with existing processes, or at a minimum, adopt new processes that are within the mainstream of how your business currently operates. At all costs, avoid dropping a completely foreign process into place.
Next we’ll address step three, developing a plan to apply the right technology for how you operate. To view the white paper in its entirety, go to our website at http://www.skymira.com/resource-center-whitepapers.htm
Subscribe