Last updated on Jul 13, 2024

You're evaluating a new technology for your operations. How do you decide on the risks and benefits?

When faced with the task of integrating new technology into your operations, the decision-making process can be daunting. You must weigh the potential benefits against the inherent risks to ensure that the technology aligns with your strategic goals and operational capabilities. It's crucial to conduct a thorough analysis that considers not only the immediate impact but also the long-term implications for your business. This involves a multi-faceted approach, taking into account factors such as cost, scalability, compatibility with existing systems, and the potential for disruption to current processes.

1 Risk Assessment

Before jumping on the bandwagon of a shiny new technology, you must first assess the risks involved. This means looking beyond the initial investment and considering how this technology could potentially introduce vulnerabilities or dependencies in your operations. You should evaluate the security aspects, data privacy concerns, and the potential for operational downtime during implementation. It's also wise to consider the provider's stability and support structure; after all, you don't want to be left in the lurch if they go out of business or fail to deliver on their promises.

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Vidan Markovic

University Professor | HealthTech & InsurTech Co-Founder | CxO | Enterprise Strategy & Transformation Advisor
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Before implementing new technology, a simple feasibility checklist can help assess associated risks: Financial: Is the project worthwhile? Does it align with the organization’s financial criteria? Technical: Do we possess the required skills and knowledge? Can our suppliers deliver on time? Organizational: Do we have the capacity to execute the project? Does this align with our core activities? Cultural: Is this initiative something we want to pursue? Does it align with our ethical standards? Operational: Can we manage and support the project once completed? Do we have the necessary infrastructure and backups in place? Risk Level: Are there significant organizational risks involved? Are the potential outcomes acceptable?

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2 Benefit Analysis

Conversely, the benefits of new technology can be transformative, offering efficiency gains, competitive advantage, and improved customer experiences. To accurately gauge these advantages, you should analyze how the technology can streamline operations, reduce costs in the long term, or open up new revenue streams. It's important to envision how it fits within your existing ecosystem and whether it will play well with the tools and processes you already have in place. Ultimately, the benefits should clearly outweigh the risks and investment costs to justify adoption.

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Katy Hetherington

Transformation Communications Manager 🔶 Open to Interim & Permanent Roles 🔶 Simplifying Complexity 🔶 Empathy & Intuition Backed by Data 🔶 Internal Comms, Transformation, Change, Engagement & Storytelling
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I successfully pitched and implemented a communications tool that measured internal emails. It was a long process, including liaising with procurement and IT. But my business case was compelling: we had a need and the outcome was more tailored personal communications with metrics we could analyse so I could further improve what we were producing.

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Cyril Lagrange

Director, Corporate Finance & Strategy | Business and Digital Project Manager | Driving Profitable and Sustainable Growth | Constant Learner
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A sincere and comprehensive benefits analysis is crucial when evaluating a new technology for your operations. From my experience, a fact-based starting point is to make an in-depth analysis of the existing situation at a granular level: - Functional processes - Workflows down to prominent use cases - Underlying solutions and technology components Listening and gathering returns of experience from operations teams brings a wealth of insights about what needs to be improved and a knowledgeable source of information about internal and external customers' pain points. The benefits analysis focuses on the value the technology provides to "customers." It measures these by criteria from the customer's point of view.

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3 Cost Considerations

Cost is a pivotal factor in your decision-making process. You need to look at not only the upfront expenses but also the total cost of ownership, which includes maintenance, training, and any necessary upgrades over time. It's essential to have a clear understanding of your budget constraints and to calculate a return on investment that aligns with your financial projections. Remember, the cheapest option isn't always the best in the long run, and a higher initial cost might be justified by greater reliability and lower operating costs down the line.

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Ranvir Singhsachakul

Director of Marketing & BD @ MessageSpring 👨🏾💼 | Guiding Leaders and Companies to Build and Leverage Their Personal Brands 💡| Podcast Host 🎙
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Cost can be really important too, for example Bamboo HR is ridiculously expensive whereas other options like Omni do more or less the same thing features wise bar a few, and are friendlier in pricing. If you're an SME, you're more price sensitive for sure, so either way have a budget written down with a margin (usually +/- 10%) of how far up and down you wanna go. Decide from there.

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4 Implementation Plan

Having a solid implementation plan is key to minimizing risks and ensuring a smooth transition. This plan should outline the steps required to integrate the technology into your current operations, including timelines, resource allocation, and contingency measures for potential setbacks. It's also important to have a training strategy for your staff to ensure they are equipped to use the new technology effectively. A well-thought-out implementation plan can be the difference between a successful rollout and a costly failure.

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Vidan Markovic

University Professor | HealthTech & InsurTech Co-Founder | CxO | Enterprise Strategy & Transformation Advisor
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Today we need to experiment a lot. It also means that we need to learn from failures. It is better to fail fast and learn until expected outcome is reached. The evolving architecture is build in the learning process rather than being set fully upfront. This is new reality with emerging technologies implementation.

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5 Monitoring Progress

Once the new technology is in place, it's crucial to monitor its performance and impact on your operations closely. Establish metrics to measure success against your objectives, and be prepared to make adjustments as needed. This ongoing evaluation will help you understand whether the technology is delivering on its promises and where further optimizations might be needed. It's also an opportunity to gather feedback from users and stakeholders to inform future technology decisions.

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6 Future Scalability

Lastly, consider the future scalability of the new technology. It should not only meet your current needs but also have the capacity to grow with your business. Assess whether it can handle increased demands or if it can be easily upgraded or expanded. This foresight will help ensure that your investment remains viable and supportive of your operations in the long term, rather than becoming obsolete or a bottleneck as your business evolves.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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You're evaluating a new technology for your operations. How do you decide on the risks and benefits?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Risk Assessment

2 Benefit Analysis

3 Cost Considerations

4 Implementation Plan

5 Monitoring Progress

6 Future Scalability

7 Here’s what else to consider

Decision-Making

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You're evaluating a new technology for your operations. How do you decide on the risks and benefits?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Risk Assessment

2 Benefit Analysis

3 Cost Considerations

4 Implementation Plan

5 Monitoring Progress

6 Future Scalability

7 Here’s what else to consider

Decision-Making

Rate this article

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