Software as a Service (SaaS) is an innovation and an economy that has been nothing less than a seismic shift in the way we work and do business. Many will find reasons to debate the features and benefits of specific platforms but the basic fact remains that SaaS has found itself a permanent and ubiquitous presence in our lives.
Leading Content Management System (CMS) such as Box.com or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system Salesforce.com or the specialist sponsorship evaluation and management system PerforMind offer endless capabilities that, if utilised, could offer users a significant advantage for innovation, productivity, agility with real sustainable growth. This is enabled through a consultative collaboration between managers and their market experts or analysts to line up technology with their own management structures, management control systems and, crucially, organisational strategies and goals. The Best of Breed CRM platform is only 'best' it is in line with your company's culture and vision.
Whether we're referring to the 'Cloud' or be more nuanced and mean SaaS, to the user and manager, it is about getting things done, shared, reported and targets met with efficiency and reward. Technology adoption is a real challenge for managers, their CIOs, CTOs and BI experts to prove tangible value to each and every stakeholder group within their organisation. This is not a one-shot exercise but a continuous cycle of innovation and development. It is a core business function as important as marketing or sales.
Over the last 25 years or so, I have led and delivered many IT and software projects including SaaS roll-outs, development or both.
In each and every case, my clients required additional consultancy at every stage from analysis, planning, development, roll-out, and maintenance. But of course, some decided that all they really wanted was a 'turn-key' project and for us to 'park it and leave' but only to be called back to 'drive' it as well or, sadly, a couple opted to write-off their investment and go back to the old way they knew how.
So, before your next SaaS project, make sure you have a clear idea about;
A. What problems do you need to solve and why?
B. What is the true value of solving (A) against the cost of new technology and its adoption?
C. How you will sustain the benefits gained in (B)?
The above may seem obviously elementary to most but often-not understood nor applied in terms of the diligence required in answering each question. To consult is to ensure that you have an unbiased, thorough and practical answers to the questions and hence a far lower risk of failure.
Regardless if those you consult are internal or external resources, they are potentially the catalyst to the success of your SaaS project. They are the guardians whom you entrust to realise the full potential of your investment.
Managers should take a good look at their past projects and re-evaluate them against the above criteria. I'm sure that would be revealing, yet transformative, exercise.
For comments or questions, please contact me via LinkedIn or hayder@fekaiki.com
My argument, however, relates to the all-too-often neglected role of market expert management and the need for continuous analysis to make the best out of SaaS and to distill information in terms of intelligence, insights, and ultimately, growth.There's a tendency, especially amongst SMEs, to adopt the most basic of out-of-the-box features provided and, unfortunately, businesses also tend to use SaaS platforms as dumping grounds for their data assets without gaining from valuable insights and relevant Business Intelligence (BI) that lay within their hoard of information.
Leading Content Management System (CMS) such as Box.com or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system Salesforce.com or the specialist sponsorship evaluation and management system PerforMind offer endless capabilities that, if utilised, could offer users a significant advantage for innovation, productivity, agility with real sustainable growth. This is enabled through a consultative collaboration between managers and their market experts or analysts to line up technology with their own management structures, management control systems and, crucially, organisational strategies and goals. The Best of Breed CRM platform is only 'best' it is in line with your company's culture and vision.
“Organizations that do not have a high-level cloud strategy driven by their business strategy will significantly increase their risk of failure and wasted investment.”- David Cearley, Vice President and Gartner Fellow, Gartner Research
Whether we're referring to the 'Cloud' or be more nuanced and mean SaaS, to the user and manager, it is about getting things done, shared, reported and targets met with efficiency and reward. Technology adoption is a real challenge for managers, their CIOs, CTOs and BI experts to prove tangible value to each and every stakeholder group within their organisation. This is not a one-shot exercise but a continuous cycle of innovation and development. It is a core business function as important as marketing or sales.
Over the last 25 years or so, I have led and delivered many IT and software projects including SaaS roll-outs, development or both.
In each and every case, my clients required additional consultancy at every stage from analysis, planning, development, roll-out, and maintenance. But of course, some decided that all they really wanted was a 'turn-key' project and for us to 'park it and leave' but only to be called back to 'drive' it as well or, sadly, a couple opted to write-off their investment and go back to the old way they knew how.
Managers should answer for their failure to consult, internally or externally, for better-informed decisions and to secure the best outcome from investing in SaaS or other IT improvement.Likewise, consultants should answer for dishing out textbook how-to guides and manuals to 'make it happen' rather than adopting a discovery approach and maintain the best interests of their clients at heart; regardless of the outcome or the tenure of their engagement.
So, before your next SaaS project, make sure you have a clear idea about;
A. What problems do you need to solve and why?
B. What is the true value of solving (A) against the cost of new technology and its adoption?
C. How you will sustain the benefits gained in (B)?
The above may seem obviously elementary to most but often-not understood nor applied in terms of the diligence required in answering each question. To consult is to ensure that you have an unbiased, thorough and practical answers to the questions and hence a far lower risk of failure.
Regardless if those you consult are internal or external resources, they are potentially the catalyst to the success of your SaaS project. They are the guardians whom you entrust to realise the full potential of your investment.
Managers should take a good look at their past projects and re-evaluate them against the above criteria. I'm sure that would be revealing, yet transformative, exercise.
For comments or questions, please contact me via LinkedIn or hayder@fekaiki.com
No comments:
Post a Comment