Technology Alone is not Enough

(if you are thinking BIG)

All of us work with information. We all know office tools. Some of us use corporate systems. We have soft data in documents, and hard data in tables somewhere.


We use information to (for example) illustrate performance, convey ideas, highlight issues, and make decisions. If we are missing even only a few pieces - our professional workloads can become unbearable!

Information also underpins our ability to be accountable. It enables assurance and governance to happen on top of that - so without information, we cannot manage or direct. Information and Data are therefore key aspects to the Business Integrated Governance Body of Knowledge provided by the BIG CIC.


It is clear that to be able to function, our businesses need several kinds of solution in and around their governance operation:

Management Solutions


  • OKR - Objectives and Key Results. In BIG, we extend this to Objectives for change, Targets for performance and Challenges for innovation. Very few of us have a platform which provides the integrative capability to cascade and connect up all of our strategic information but if we did, we could focus more strongly on what is important.


  • Corporate RAID - Risks (opportunities, threats, imperatives and goals), Actions, Issues and Decisions. Most of us are perfectly capable of managing RAID, and many of us use desktop tools to share information - but how many of us would LOVE to have all the actions from all our meetings in one place?



  • Work Management - we all have to plan, schedule and manage dependency so that we can deploy resources according to priorities, coordinate efforts and drive achievements. This is especially important for project and programme work where we are delivering change within BAU, value generation or strategic workstreams. We call these 'PPM solutions'

Information Management Solutions


  • Management Information Platform - assuming we've got the information we need and manipulated it to the right form - we need to present it and make it consumable.



  • Information and Data - this sounds really simple, but if we want data so we can present information for all the purposes above - that needs machinery and process. How do we join information contained in different systems? How do we assure quality? How do we know we are looking at information for the same time point? This takes time and effort to build, integrate, operate, assure and sustain.


  • KPI Solution - the evidence we need to show progress against our objectives and targets comes from data perhaps in several systems and forms. It may need to be transformed, cleaned or summarised before it becomes the information we need. We can of course do this manipulation in our desktop tools - but that potentially loses quality and traceability. If we were to use a common KPI solution, we could more easily plug that information into our OKR solution and Management Information Platform (see below)

However - Technology alone is not enough.

Most of us use simple tech to do almost everything these days, but if we can’t work out how to use an App within moments, we ‘can’t use it’. The trouble is that many modern workplace tasks are complex and involve others. If we don't effectively define, deploy, adopt and sustain the Management Solutions, and the other organisation Line of Business Solutions we use, the Information Management Solutions are less valuable.


For example:

#1 - Portfolio, Programme, Product and Project Management (P4M).


Defining, planning, resourcing, costing and controlling need information from many sources. We assume we can collect data with little effort and very simple, usable tools.


In organisations with many projects, we assume common tools can simplify data collection. We expect a ‘directive’ and some ‘training’ to suffice to realise benefits. Hopefully, we will realise Technology is not enough before beginning our change as we make our technology ready. Some of us will sadly find out when we don’t get adoption or benefits. 


So what is ‘enough’ - Part 1? - Some of us see that it makes sense to harmonise P4 processes, roles and support to avoid chaos or inefficiency and that we need to win hearts and minds to change culture. This may be enough for you?


So what is ‘enough’ - Part 2? - Much information for projects comes from outside the P4 world. E.g. objectives from exec board, cost information from commercial and finance, resources from BAU management teams, risks / issues – all angles. So while many factors for project success are ‘within’ the P4 world – we are ultimately constrained by how we fit as part of the wider business.


When during our Management Solutions projects do we realise we can’t control or always influence other business units or Technology partners? We have to realise that success on project and strategy accomplishment and therefore busienss performance relies on effective Business Integrated Governance – not just each domain (e.g. the P4 one) trying to plug itself in or fix just itself.


You might like this advice - "Enterprise Project Management Solutions - Install and train, job done?"


Deepteam is a specialist in Business Integrated Governance and needs technology solutions to underpin governance operation.


CPS is a leading UK based Microsoft Gold Partner that has been addressing these issues for 27 years. CPS understands PPM Solutions, OKR, RAID, Integration, MI Platforms and Business Integrated Governance.


To hear more about these issues and to explore how they apply within Work Management and PPM in particular, access our Webinar recording.

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