Organizations do think about this question at least once in their lifespan. Be it a small enterprise of less than 10 members or a larger one with thousands of members, there is always a process we plan to define for increased efficiency.
But the daunting question is when is the right time to implement this? And my response would be, there’s never a right time! But there are few criteria that can help you make a right decision:
- Amount of time / money saved is more than the cost of the system – This is a clear winner! – the lowest hanging fruit for your organization. When you know that a small system can bring in more efficiency in your organization’s processes, you must immediately act on it and go for implementation.
- The system will lead to more business – When you are confident a system will help you retain a client by providing increased efficiency or will help you acquire more clients. You may be inclined to implement a system even if costs a bit more. It is certainly a right call, if you’re sure about more profitability. It’s like an investment with quick returns.
- You have a long term goal – All organizations have a vision and they make short and long term plans to make it happen. It is easy to make short-term plans and start working on them, however, the complexity increases as you proceed towards your long term objectives. Rather your results are unclear as the Big Bear in hazy skies. A system implemented thinking about the future is one of the most important and helpful decisions for your organization.
So you see while each one’s requirement to implement a system is different, there is always a reason and motivation to do so.