{"id":30517,"date":"2020-09-15T09:28:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-15T13:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=30517"},"modified":"2021-12-15T00:18:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T05:18:27","slug":"software-and-technology-selection-how-to-find-tools-that-drive-your-business-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/software-and-technology-selection-how-to-find-tools-that-drive-your-business-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Software and Technology Selection: How to Find Tools That Drive Your Business Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"
Everyone who invests in new technology<\/a> or software hopes that it will save money and generate revenue, but you may dash your hopes if you don\u2019t align your new tools with your business processes and goals. You can then demonstrate to employees, leaders and other stakeholders that your investment will advance the organization.<\/p>\n The most important step is in updating your technology is understanding your processes. Many people will remember the story of Hershey Food\u2019s failed enterprise resource planning (ERP) project from the 1990s. Hershey wanted to upgrade its legacy IT systems. Project leaders advised them it would be a 48-month process, but Hershey sought a 30-month turnaround to wrap the project before Y2K. They planned the cutover for July 1999.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the company lost track of a key fact: Summer is when they receive most of their orders for Halloween and the winter holiday season. The implementation team cut corners on critical testing phases, and the result was a disaster. Hershey was unable to process $100 million worth of Kiss and Jolly Rancher orders, even though they had the candy in stock. The result? A 19 percent drop in quarterly profits and an 8 percent decline in stock price<\/a>.<\/p>\n Not so sweet, right?<\/p>\n Hershey\u2019s example illustrates that taking the time to map your current process and capture key steps in them \u2014 before you purchase software, new technology, or start a major implementation project \u2014 is time well spent. It allows you to identify the essential parts of your processes and landmarks in your business timeline that you cannot compromise.<\/p>\nLet Your Process Drive Your Investments<\/h2>\n