Has the increasing sophistication of technology helped to evolve
business processes or have evolving business processes driven the
pace of technology change?
Robert Epstein, business lead for small and medium business at
Microsoft UK, examines the way that technology and business process
have changed and asks whether IT should fit your existing processes
or whether your processes should fit with new technology. Is there
a right or wrong way and what are the options for an SME?
Although most advisors would argue that it is important to map
any technology system onto your existing business processes rather
than mapping new processes to a particular technology, it would be
naive to believe that business processes have not evolved alongside
these technology systems. Indeed, evolving technology has seen new
ways of work emerging in enterprises of all sizes, so SMEs should
not be afraid to adopt new ways of working made possible by
technology that can deliver value to the business.
SMEs need to seize any benefit they can and technology can be a
real source of competitive advantage, often improving processes
both within the organisation and with its customers. Take, for
example,
Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS), a package of products
that gives business the freedom to collaborate much more
effectively and share information across the business whilst
keeping it in a central location accessible to all employees. A
customer that comes to mind is The Professional Finance Centre by
adopting SBS, they are now able to work at home, to pick up their
e-mail, diary and business contacts both from their home PC and
their mobiles - it has totally changed the way they run their
business, but in a way that makes it easier, not more complex.
For me, however, the most exciting development in business
process management from a technology perspective has to be Web 2.0
which offers a vast potential for change, delivering entirely new
ways to find, use and share information. We are no longer tied to
searching through regimented file structures mimicking a physical
filing cabinet but have now been freed to organise our information
by keyword, topic, or even by the specific expertise of the
author.
Another great step forward we have to thank Web 2.0 for is new
ways to collaborate online. Gone are the days when a face to face
meeting was the only way to get your business done. Thanks to
software such as
Microsoft Sharepoint Server, Groove and in the cloud offerings
such as
Microsoft Office Live Workspaces we can now edit, store and
share documents online. No matter where you are, as long as you
have access to the internet you can access the latest versions of
important documents, share your updates and even discuss them as
you work. Businesses can also meet virtually thanks to technology
such as Microsoft Live Meeting which allows you to collaborate
online in real-time, delivering presentations and sharing
information during teleconferences.
The difference now is that intelligent business processes are
developed alongside evolutions in IT. IT gives us a toolkit that
allows us to develop new processes hand in hand with the needs of
people, delivering increasingly efficient processes tailored to the
needs of the business' users. Do not leap to buy technology for
technology's sake think first about whether the systems you are
looking at will fit with what you need from them.
My advice to businesses is to look at the way you currently run
your business and where you think it might be improved. Speak to an
expert, such as a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, who will
have experience of addressing the business issues of SMEs through
technology. It could be that technology is the answer to improving
a process - or it could even be that your current technology is
hindering your process. Whatever the solution, you must make sure
it is focused around people and that you have buy in from your
people because without them you cannot succeed.