The Computer Weekly/Buy IT case studies offer an in-depth analysis
of a successful IT project, with expert comment from a panel. BuyIT
was launched in 1995 by the DTI and an alliance of top industry
bodies. BuyIT has selected best practice examples on a range of
projects. Each case study is scrutinised by the BuyIT team of
experts who make their recommendations and comments. The BuyIT
Computer Weekly Best Practice Series is endorsed by Fit for the
Future, a CBI-led, government-backed campaign to get business
learning from business.
The Organisation:
The Volvo Cars Monitoring and Concept
Center (VMCC) is a think-tank based in Southern California which
tests new technologies and assesses their potential value to other
companies within the Volvo Group. If these concepts are adopted by
the rest of the business, the VMCC then works with production
divisions in Sweden and sales offices around the world to translate
the vision into practice.
The Challenge:
VMCC had identified that accessing and sharing information was a
major bottleneck in projects - especially for non-technical staff
not using existing product data management systems - while meetings
were often spent imparting information rather than tackling and
resolving issues. With offices around the world, it was also
looking for tools which could support long-distance relationships
for dispersed teams.
The Solution:
Centric Software's Web-based
collaborative solution allows team members to store and access a
wide range of project information and to access a repository of
data about past projects. However, VMCC sees the Centric solution
as not the only medium for communication especially as it has found
that it is appropriate to use Centric to store only information
which is of value to more than one person in the project
team.
Secrets of success
- See collaborative software as just one of a complementary suite
of tools which can be used to help teams work more effectively
- Be selective about what information you store in each system
and which tool is used for each form of communication
- Do not assume that the software will work straight out of the
box
- Find a software partner that can support the full mix of
systems in your infrastructure
- User expectations need to be managed carefully because some
staff will see a lot of benefit immediately and some will not
- Be aware that users' workload will increase when the system is
first installed
- Some standards for data and processes need to be imposed
- Educate staff about collaborative software.
Source: Peter Duschinsky, director, BuyIT Best Practice
Network
What the BuyIT experts say
Alistair Fulton, chairman, BuyIT, and president, Computing
Services and Software Association
The Volvo case study is a good example of how a technology-aware
global organisation has introduced a pragmatic solution in its move
towards becoming a truly networked enterprise.
E-collaboration - working together within global companies and
across supply chains - is a relatively new skill area for most
organisations but one which is at the heart of exploiting the
benefits of the Internet.
Making the interactive and innovative processes work in this new
environment requires fundamental changes to attitudes and culture
that are hard to grasp and even harder to bring about in practice.
This has been identified by BuyIT members as one of the key
challenges facing organisations.
The potential benefits are huge. Using the power of the Internet,
it becomes possible to share key data - in this case forecasts,
production information, promotional information, changes and so on
- accurately, instantaneously and globally.
E-collaborators are able to share best practice; they can apply new
ideas and concepts before others discover their value, and speed up
the time from concept to commercial acceptance.
As Volvo has clearly recognised, the way they will develop products
in the future will be radically different as a result of the
introduction of
e-collaboration.
Bud Strandquest, principal consultant B2B supply chain
strategy, workrooms programme director, Cap Gemini Ernst &
Young
Internet-enabled collaboration
is best defined in terms of its output - accelerated,
higher-quality collective decision making. Used strategically,
traditional barriers between enterprises are removed enabling
expertise to be applied real time to decision-making across the
value chain.
The challenge for the Volvo team is to rapidly extend their
collaborative tools and processes beyond their firewalls. This
should act as a catalyst for efforts to fundamentally improve
end-to-end value chain processes. In doing so the tools become
strategic, capable of delivering step change improvement.
To optimally deliver, several technology enablers need to be
considered;
- Creating a comprehensive on-line collaborative environment,
aggregating more content, tools and applications and serving
purposes beyond new product development
- Networking disparate systems across collaborative enterprises
so that accurate content is visible real time
- Striking the right balance with natural ways of working and
legacy collaborative technologies
- Constructing an interface that drives rapid user adoption and
reduces the need for training.
It is important to anticipate and not underestimate major human and
enterprise behaviour issues. For example, while transparency of
information is powerful, it is threatening.