Don't Be A Creep
Technology can be a powerful force for good in any business, but you need to be diligent to ensure it doesn't start to creep up on you. Unlike other products, software never wears out or becomes unusable. If the hardware runs, the software runs. For software vendors to stay in business, they need to convince you to creep. They need to get you to buy the latest upgrade, or desire the newest features.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying all software companies are creeps or that the software industry is a con game played on the world of business. Technology is a valuable asset. It has been a key business driver for many years because it adds true business value. When it does this, it makes sense to upgrade. But you need to ensure your technology choices fit your business direction. You need to make sure that creep doesn't become an end in itself.
When Things Get Creepy
The problem with creep is that it causes Technology Misfit. Every time you change to a new piece of software, you invite a disruption of your workflow. To begin with, your staff face a great learning curve and slowdown in productivity. People work best when they work with the familiar. Changing technologies diverts their energy from the important business processes they're doing. What often happens is that the new software is ignored or never fully utilized, defeating the reason for which it was purchased.
Then there are the bugs. No, not the ones you swat with a swatter. Newly released software is almost always buggy. Most new releases require frequent service packs and patches in their first months or year on the market. When you jump to "take advantage" of the latest and greatest, you invite the frustrations and disruptions inherent in this process.
What about security? Everything new is potentially a new set of holes through which malicious parties can find their way. There is a lot to be said for tried and tested software that has held up in the midst of today's accelerated security threats. When you always buy the latest, you expose yourself constantly to new attacks and threats.
Oh, and there is the matter of need. Do you actually need the new features being touted at all? Yes now it can do this or that, but do you have any real need for this or that? If you don't, you're just wasting money and rocking the boat for no good reason.
Where Does Creep Come From?
To some extent you know all about the things we discussed above. So why do you have versions of software in your company whose features go largely unused? Why do half your staff not know about those features, or take advantage of them, if they appeared to be so necessary to your work environment? Often the reason is because the software companies aren't the creeps that get you to creep. You have your own creeps in house.
You may have staff members who are never satisfied with software that merely does the job, but always want to work on something shinier. Some people just become bored with what they're using and want to be moving on to something new. Then there are the ones who are influenced by marketing hype and just "know" the latest software will make everything better. Afterall, that's what the vendor said!
It may not even be your staff. Maybe you were looking in a mirror when you read that last paragraph. Whatever its source, if you listen to this input in an undiscerning way, you are sure to become a creep yourself.
Controlling Creep
I'm not suggesting you stifle forward thinking. These staff members can keep you aware of what's out there when you don't have time to find out yourself. But whether you are buying or having a piece of software developed, you need to establish procedures that ensure business is driving upgrades, and not just marketing glitz, and the creep it is designed to inspire.
First, make sure there is a strong business reason for any kind of upgrade. Evaluate the proposed features and ensure you will be able to use them effectively. Make sure they will make a significant enough improvement in your workflow to justify the disruption and Misfit they will cause. If they are only going to sit on your workstations unused by staff who have no time to learn them, you would be better off staying where you are. Make sure you have the resources to ensure the new features will be used.
Another good discipline is to insist on knowing, before you buy or develop new software, that your purposes cannot be achieved with the tools you already have. Sometimes the software vendor is offering a convenient way to do what you could already be doing with a little creativity. No sense buying a new tool when you've already got one in the toolbox that will do the trick. Explore these possibilities first, before considering an upgrade.
If the new software proposal passes these two tests, the final one should still be a firm policy. Don't be an early adopter. Make sure someone else has worked through the bugs and security issues for you. If you're buying software, buy something that has been sufficiently established. If you're having something developed, make sure it is built on technologies that have passed the test. There is a reason the cutting edge is also called the bleeding edge. You will avoid a lot of pain by holding back a bit. Be disciplined to do so.
If you want to achieve and maintain Technology Fit in your organization, watch out for the creeps and make sure not to be one yourself.
Kel Good
MCT, MCITP, MCPD, MCSD for Microsoft.NET
Kel Good is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Developer who specializes in consulting with business decision makers and managers regarding the
Technology Fit of their organizations.
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