Building a Strategy and a Technology Roadmap for 2021
We all know we “can’t to back to the way it was” so how do we move forward to make it the way we want it to be? The business challenges of 2020 should be business lessons for 2021.
What We Learned
Many of the lessons from 2020 are industry-specific, except for the renewed focus on employee health and wellbeing. Businesses pivoted their processes to enable working from home and some pivoted either products or services to support the new global needs. For many businesses, survival was the goal and technology was tool to achieve it.
Now that 2020 is almost behind us, its challenges will linger for years to come. The changes made in 2020 were just the beginning, and as 2021 approaches, businesses need to do their best to leverage their computers, tablets, smartphones, and apps so they are as ready as possible for the unknown.
Gartner found that “anywhere operations” is a top 2021 technology trend. “The model for anywhere operations is “digital first, remote first;” for example, banks that are mobile-only, but handle everything from transferring funds to opening accounts with no physical interaction. Digital should be the default at all times. That’s not to say physical space doesn’t have its place, but it should be digitally enhanced, for example, contactless check-out at a physical store, regardless of whether its physical or digital capabilities should be seamlessly delivered.”
Time to Strategize
2020 was a year of being reactive, and many businesses did so successfully. Quick thinking, collaboration, and lots of temporary solutions kept businesses afloat. Now is the time to review all those rapid-fire decisions and identify where improvements can be made. Business leaders need to open the conversation to everyone in the organization as they all had to make changes while continuing to be motivated and productive while also being distant. As a result, everyone in the organization has valuable input to the conversation of how to make 2021 better.
Strategies for 2021 need to include:
Workplace processes that bring employees back together without jeopardizing their health and wellness
Improved communications – internal and external – to accommodate new online demands from clients/customers
Cloud-based centralized and organized data so everyone, regardless of their locations, can access what they need to do their jobs
Automated workflows to keep the business moving even when employees are not in the office
The right technology is at the core of successful 2021.
The 2020 Technologies Audit
Every business has a list of technologies used to run the business. These technologies should reduce manual work, increase productivity, and deliver information that lead to educated business decisions. Now is the time for business leaders to understand what technologies are being used across the organization.
A quick list of technologies in use will identify two important considerations:
Is the company using duplicate technologies that accomplish the same task
How groups of employees work best
For example, some of the technology audits that Orion has conducted for our clients uncovered multiple technologies being used for the same task including:
Video conferencing: Zoom, MS Teams, Webex, Salesforce, Google Meet
Document storage: MS SharePoint, MS One Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Salesforce
Document creation: MS Office 365, Google Office, Smartsheet
Process diagrams: Visio, MS PowerPoint, Lucidchart, Adobe
This duplication leads to overspending on subscriptions and multiple file formats, which is a problem if everyone does not have the access to all the tools.
Decisions need to be made on the best tools for the organization and they should be based on the preference and success on the teams the need each tool. For example, accounting should dictate the spreadsheet tool, marketing will dictate the creative tools, and operations decides on the company-wide video-conference tool. Standardization of technology across an organization helps with communications and file format expectations.
The 2021 Strategic Technology Roadmap
With strategies and technology audit in hand, the next step is to create a technology roadmap for 2021. Technology roadmapping an approach many organizations take to align strategies and goals with the most appropriate technologies to support them.
Three key steps to creating a successful technology roadmap include the following:
Defining functional needs
What should the technology be able to do for employees, customers/clients, vendors, and partners to improve the ability to work for/with the business? Considerations for this step include many different types of technologies. One example is the use of improved ecommerce features to streamline customer communications and their ability to make purchases or learn about products and services. Another example is integrated systems that automatically move data from one to the other, such as HR recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and payroll. A simple example is collaboration, where everyone leaves comments and makes updates to a single file rather than passing it along through email.
Conduct a cost benefit analysis.
Managing expenses is important to every business, and 2020 help to shine an even brighter light on this bottom-line item. Be sure that the investment in new technologies delivers tangible savings, such as the reduction of duplicate data entry and human errors or the increase in time employees can spend creating relationships that turn into revenue. Quick access to information and the ability to quickly and easily turnaround a client quote can be the difference between losing and closing a deal.
Document the plan and be prepared for it to change over time
Like business plans, technology roadmaps are living documents that change as the business climate changes. The quick pivots that were made in 2020 by some organizations serve as examples of being able to adopt new technologies based on changing strategies and goals. From in-person corporate meetings that became video conferencing with everyone in the organization to creating online customer portals to manage communications after a reduction in the workforce, technology roadmaps need to be flexible.
Technology roadmapping does take time, and a level of technological knowledge regarding the types of systems and solutions available for a variety of goals. There are many websites that post reviews and many systems that offer free trials. Navigating through the options, while trying to align them with goals and required functionality needs to be done with a great deal of attention.
Organizations that take the time to create a solid technology roadmap that aligns with strategies, goals, and functional requirements, position themselves for the inevitable turns that 2021 will deliver.
Contact us to learn how we can help you prepare for 2021 and create a technology roadmap that aligns with your strategies and goals!