For over 30 years (aka the dawn of computers), businesses have struggled with IT for power and control; one thought the other was controlling, one thought the other clueless. The truth is, neither party truly wanted control, they wanted to do their job and be done with it. Newsflash–both entities desire a seat at the planning table, to have an equal say in how business (and its implementation) will move forward. My question to you today, oh fearless business owner, is how can you help overcome this endless cycle?

For starters, both the business owner and the IT consultant should come together willing to adopt a balanced approach that considers long-term enterprise and short-term business interests; in other words, willing to work as a team. As Susan Cramm states in her book “8 Things We Hate About IT”, research indicates that companies that have single-mindedly pursued alignment have lower sales growth and higher IT expenses than do companies having a more balanced approach to IT.

In reality, the alignment adopted by companies over the years has only been superficial. They think they are working together, but they just aren’t. IT must be woven into the fabric of the organization, requiring a shared commitment and a shared responsibility. To realized this, businesses need to treat their IT consultant as a business partner and not as a service provider. Cramm likens compares this superficial alignment to a husband and wife with separate bedrooms. If the true partnership isn’t there, the IT consultant is essentially tiptoeing down the hallway in the middle of the night only to find the bedroom (or boardroom) door closed.

Below are four suggestions to help bridge the gap between business owners and IT consultants and begin truly collaborating at the same table:

1. In order to get the results you want, get to know your IT consultant. I don’t mean over beer and a burger, but if that’s what it takes, then do it. Find out what makes him tick and he will do the same with you. All great relationships involve personal understanding and motivation. A great example is the business manager who needs something done NOW for immediate results (i.e. increased profits or employee bonuses) and the IT consultant who needs to do it RIGHT to support the enterprise long-term (i.e. avoiding expensive and difficult to change/fix systems). Having an understanding of where each other is coming from, how they operate and talking their language all helps create a working solution that is a win-win for the business as a whole.
2. Getting to know technology isn’t the end result, it’s a part of your strategic plan. Your IT consultant supports the execution of your business strategy. More importantly, what he does helps expands strategic options. Use technology as a competitive tool or weapon in your business arsenal to reach broader ground – internally or externally. Within the walls of a company, to create an enterprise architecture that fits a business both today and in the future, plan to tweak it as you move along that timeline. You get more bang for your buck…what business manager doesn’t like the sound of that?!
3. Let the right person make the right approvals. In a nutshell, business owners decide the what and IT consultants decide the how.
4. In order to keep a plan on track, both groups must assess Value Measurements. In other words, in layman-ese, what do you want to get out of the project? Use that as the way to measure your success. Mary Yanocha, in “Consultants Can Make a Difference”, Baseline, lists common ‘value’ measures as:
             • Cost and/or Time Savings
             • Meeting milestones
             • Customer satisfaction
             • Revenue growth
             • Performance improvement
             • Employee satisfaction
             • Return on Investment

All this leads to the conclusion that there are no more independent IT projects, they are IT-involved business initiatives. In “The Next Generation CIOs”, McKinsey on IT, research shows that “around 90% of CEOs expect business managers to (be actively involved in) IT budget decisions as well as the process and organizational challenges that technology implementations require”. Business owners can help their IT consultant by being responsible for actively being involved using the examples above. IT consultants can help by providing the best people for the job and sticking to the agreed upon assessments. With both people assuming the appropriate accountability, constant communication and collaboration, opportunities arise to learn more about how the other half operates and can then better prepare and navigate a project. Getting back to the marriage example, if you know your wife loves fine dining, and you learn to hold the door for her and place the cloth napkin in your lap, chances are you are on a good start to navigating your way through a meal you may not yet understand anything else about, and perhaps even enjoy the evening to boot.

Stop for a moment and think about how well you actively engage and involve your IT consultant in the decision-making processes. Do you micro-manage and effectively hog-tie the process? Do you drop the project in their lap and expect a quick, efficient solution to magically appear? Or do you volley back and forth, allowing the process to evolve naturally?

~ Julie Settle, A&J Computers Inc.

As 2009 turns to 2010, I’ve started to ask our clients how they are going to change how they use technology in the new year.   I’ve heard answers which include “More remote work” to “more personal service to our customers” to “ensuring our clients know we do more than just X”.  Inevitably during the same conversation, our clients ask me about how they can reduce their technology spending, but offer more services than ever.   As many of you know – this is a seemingly double edged sword – to save money long term you need to replace inefficient equipment, update software and convert in-sourced services to outsourced services.  One of the biggest challenges is a budget to make planning these items out a little easier.  

So I ask all of you, what is your plan for technology for the new year?  What does your budget look like?  How are you going to ensure your technology spending does not become like the game Risk – which can easily go on for ever and seemingly have no end.

Let me know what your thoughts are here.