Successful Technology Planning

The Seven Steps to a Successful Technology Plan

Donna Yale, Senior eBusiness Consultant, PennTAP – a technology extension service – outlines Seven Steps for the Successful Implementation of a Technology Plan. The best advice she can offer? Before you begin, consider what problems you are trying to solve with technology; how you want to use the technology to interact with your business partners; and consider if your product or service is suited for a particular technology.

The first step is to establish a leader of your technology team - someone who is familiar with technology, especially industry specifi c technologies.

“This person is not necessarily a manager,” she emphasizes. “The second person appointed should be the implementer – this person may be in a management position.”

Another critical tip? It’s the process behind the writing that is the most important part of developing the plan and creating a team of staff who will work together.

The second step is to identify resources. List hardware, operating systems, software, broadband connections and technology used (i.e. wireless, land lines). Identify your internal knowledge resources – key technology employees, for example.

The third step is to define your business needs and look at how technology will accomplish tasks that you cannot provide. Here you will prioritize your business needs and take a look at the mission of your business.

“What is your core business?” asks Yale. “How will technology and eCommerce help you reach a specifi c business goal? For example, technology can provide shipment tracking 24 hours a day/7 days a week through a web presence. Will this type of improved customer service help your bottom line? Will it make your business more effi cient? Consider your employees and their technology skill sets. Do you need to upgrade hardware and add or train staff?”

This is a reflective and analytical process that may result in a decision to not adapt technology. Some businesses, says Yale, decide the change is not worth the hassle. At the far end of the curve, however, are the businesses who implement technologies to completely revamp a company’s operations.

The fourth step is to explore solutions. Research is key. If the business does not have a technology staff person to assist, Yale strongly suggests the business owner seek help from community resources like PennTAP, Northern Tier or the local SBDC.

“They will assist business owners with reseach on hardware, networks, industry specific software and more. Planning grants to hire technology consultants may be available,” she says. “This may be a time consuming process but it’s critically important before implementing new technologies.”

The fifth step is writing the plan. At this point, steps one through four should be documented and used as reference. While writing the plan keep your overall business goals in mind. Outline projects, timelines and budgets. Seventy percent (70%) of your total budget should go toward technical support and training while the remainder should be for technology purchases such as hardware, software and broadband connections.

The sixth step is to obtain funding. Take your plan to a loan agency or local development district to obtain financing and/or grants.

The seventh step is implementation. The key to success, says Yale, is to designate a point person who is in a management role to oversee the process. This person need not be an IT specialist, says Yale, they only need to communicate to your consultant or IT person and staff. This point person should be able to break down tasks in a manner that is clearly and easily monitored; establish time lines; set milestones and target dates for specific phases of the plan.

Once you have completed implementation, an ongoing process for evaluation is needed. Build check points and indicators of success into the technology plan, suggests Yale, and build in a process for evaluation and upgrades to your systems. Even small milestones should be celebrated, she says. “It should be a living document with needs and priorities that change. For example, new computers should be purchased at certain intervals and software packages updated. Training on software should coincide.”

This point illustrates that technology planning is not quick and simple. There is no magic formula for success, she explains, but planning allows the business to make informed and profi table decisions.