tech series
How can operators ensure they get the IT system they need? Stuart Dyson offers a ‘survival guide’ for the software buyer
spoilt for choice
IT-related purchases can account for up to 10 per cent of business outgoings
S
oftware forms an intrinsic part of life today: it’s what lets us get cash from an ATM, make a phone call and even
drive our cars. The average company spends around 5–10 per cent of its total outgoings on IT-related items, making it one of the largest expenses for business, with a big chunk regularly allocated to new software projects intended to create a better future for the organisation and its customers. And it’s important to get it right.
When one of these projects fails, it can impact an organisation’s prospects and, if the failure is large enough, can steal the entire future of the business. It can happen to anyone: large or small companies; in commercial, non-profi t and government organisations; in any country; and without regard to size or sector (including our own). The cost to
shareholders and taxpayers runs into billions of pounds a year. Since 1994, The Standish Group has
published its annual CHAOS report on IT project success. Based on responses from IT managers in a wide range of industry segments, and representing some 8,380 applications, the report conclusions provide some sobering statistics. In the 2009 report, only 32 per cent of projects were deemed to have been ‘successful’ – that means they were delivered on time, within budget and with the required features and functions in place. A further 44 per cent were classed as ‘challenged’ – a combination of being late, over budget and/or with less than the required features and function. Depressingly, 24 per cent of projects were cancelled prior to completion, or they were delivered and never used.
24 per cent of projects were cancelled prior to completion, or delivered and never used
october 2011 © cybertrek 2011 No wonder, then, that this jaundiced
view of IT projects can often lead to dysfunctional buying practices among operators, and equally dysfunctional selling practices from suppliers. This can result in a poor fi t between customer, supplier and solution. So what can you do to choose the right software and keep your IT project on track?
lose the tender A tender is probably the perfect tool for
commodity-based items, but with complex leisure management software, the situation is different. Tender documents are often too long and complex, making it difficult to understand the total requirement – but at the same time, their length leads to a reluctance to change them, even if they’re wrong. Not only that, but IT requirements in
tenders tend to focus too much on the system itself rather than how it will be used. Ask all your potential suppliers if they have a feature for BACS processing and the answer will be a resounding
‘yes’. Ask them how they expect the BACS solution to behave and the answers may be less convincing. An alternative approach is to use scenarios that describe the behaviours
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 55
PIC: ©
WWW.SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ YURI ARCURS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84