Technology planning is at the heart of a strong business strategy for managing ongoing tasks that will ultimately foster success. Regardless of what your company does or who your audience is, it's important to know how technology can benefit your customers by helping employees do their jobs effectively. To get started, here's a list of 10 goals for creating or improving your systems.
10 Goals That Should Be on Your Technology Planning List
1. Audit Existing Systems To Begin Technology Planning
Having a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and what's working or not is a major first step when deciding on future technologies. As part of your preparation, conduct an audit of current systems, hardware, and software to figure out strengths and areas of opportunity.2. Consider Who Will Use New Systems & Establish KPIs
It's vital to think about who will use new systems and how so that you can set up key performance indicators for them and know when you're reaching goals or need to adjust your approach. This will also save time and money which you can't afford to lose by avoiding costly mistakes in software choices.3. Determine the Best Features & Settings for Your Business
When creating a new technology system for your business, it's a good idea to figure out which features and settings will be best for your process. Doing so can help you save money, maximize productivity, and personalize new software for the company's needs.
4. Budget Financial Costs & What Hardware Will Be Required
One of the most important goals is to make sure that you have your financial costs under control. When purchasing new hardware, it's imperative that you include both up-front costs and maintenance costs for IT support in your spending budget.
5. Research Best Practices for Success & Plan SMART Goals
If you're wondering how to set goals for your company, research best practices for technology and create plans using SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). For example, one goal might be to increase revenue by 10% over 12 months.
6. Outline a Plan of Action for Implementing the New Technology
To make sure that your business gets the most out of its new technology, you'll need to outline a plan of action for how you're going to carry it out. Figure out who will be responsible for each step and map out a timeline so everyone stays on task and knows what needs to be done when.
7. Form a Team To Manage the Setup Process & Train Employees
You'll also want to form a team to manage and train employees who will use and keep up with your new software. Training should include not only how to use specific features, but also how technology fits into an overall business strategy.
The best way to keep employees engaged is by clearly communicating why they need to know what they're learning, along with regular progress updates so everyone stays motivated.
8. Update or Upgrade Existing Software & Confirm Compatibility
There's nothing worse than spending time, money, and resources to install a new software program only to find out it doesn't play well with your current programs. Check all documentation carefully and be sure to update or upgrade any existing software you now use before installing anything new.
9. Create Plans for Backing Up Data, Monitoring Updates, & Security
Be sure to plan for potential problems with your technology. Include plans for backing up data, monitoring future software updates, and keeping up with or reporting security issues. These items should be discussed in detail so you have a contingency in place in case of unexpected problems or system failures.