Triumph and fall of business software

Edmunds Plūmīte
Chairman of the Board

Lack of interaction between business and IT

Company management resembles never ending game of chess. Information technologies (IT) influence course and pace of it, and in the best case, they become a positive driving force. The source of this power is excellent synergy between the areas of IT and business processes in the company. Despite the fact that the involvement of IT employees in the analysis and improvement of business processes is welcomed, unfortunately it seldom occurs. I have observed in praxis that in many companies IT functions are limited to technical matters.

 

Consistent dependence on programmer

To fill in the missing segment in the link between business and IT, in most cases there is a programmer used who speaks both IT and business languages (let’s keep our fingers crossed that this person is always healthy and never takes long vacations!). Various ready-made solutions and programs which promise to make the daily routine of the manager and employees easier serve as an alternative for a position of a programmer; for instance, these are solutions for client management, planning of manufacturing resources and many others. Nevertheless often seems that it is more convenient and easier to pay to the programmer for adjusting the solution of existing base software and constructing the missing modules. Although such solution seems to be the most optimum in short-term, it is necessary to make a careful assessment of risks that are linked with the maintenance of such information system and its long-term management.

Simpler construction of the system grants larger independence

Ability to react swiftly and adjust to the changes is one of the reasons why companies throughout the world choose to develop simple and easily manageable information system architecture. The basis of such system architecture is formed by choosing and implementing the solution which is the most suitable for each specific business process or function, as well as mutual integration of solutions. In such a way, daily work and development of the company is influenced by the decisions of the company management instead of the possibilities or deficiencies of one program, the talent and speed of work performance of programmers.


Use the competence of IT employees

There is nobody who knows the processes of your company better than the employees of the company. Pursuant to the best world praxis, it is recommended to determine that one of the priorities of the manager of the IT department is the analysis of business processes and risks. The IT department must be the department which is capable of assessing, selecting and introducing necessary solutions by justifying their choice with specific needs for improvement and further development of business processes. Up to a great extent, ability for your business to survive in the circumstances of global competition will be determined by the fact if information systems accelerate or impede the development of your business. Due to this reason, internal IT human resources are to be used for the development of your business!


One must think about the future already right now – you reap what you sow

There is no doubt that it is not easy to change that what has been constructed for years especially if large amount of financial resources has been invested. Nevertheless it is highly recommended not to stop and to keep seeking for the most suitable solutions for the development of your company! It is the only possibility how to ensure competitiveness and increase power of your business. In the result of reconstruction of the architecture of information systems for the needs of the processes of your business, you will obtain a set of solution that can be easily used and managed on daily basis which in long-term will ensure not only the increase of the added value of your business but also more efficient fulfillment of its strategic goals!