Monday
Dec212009
Why choice is not always the right choice
Monday, December 21, 2009 at 6:46AM
I'm a huge proponent of letting people choose their own technologies, tools and solutions. I guess I'm also not your traditional IT guy. My focus is on technologies that make a difference in your world (both online and off). But making a choice can be complicated and time consuming. That's where your IT staff should come in.
Take for instance document storage. I know, we all think this is one of the most amazing choices you'd have to make in your job. They are so many wonderful options. From an IT perspective I could tell you where you have to store your documents. I could say, "All financial documents go in this folder on the network." This would not go well. Some things are better off stored in a simple document repository.
This is why we should provide a choice. We can't know every type of file or document an individual may deal with. This means that some people have different needs than others. This is where interviewing and time come in (two things many people seem to lack the ability to do).
While providing a choice is a necessity, providing an educated and selected choice is imperative. You need to make sure you cover two things:
That wasn't so hard, was it? You had to be human. You had to ask. And most importantly you had to listen to what your users needed. You'll wind up with much happier users and a system that's manageable. It's a win-win for everyone. Now get out there and make some changes!
Take for instance document storage. I know, we all think this is one of the most amazing choices you'd have to make in your job. They are so many wonderful options. From an IT perspective I could tell you where you have to store your documents. I could say, "All financial documents go in this folder on the network." This would not go well. Some things are better off stored in a simple document repository.
This is why we should provide a choice. We can't know every type of file or document an individual may deal with. This means that some people have different needs than others. This is where interviewing and time come in (two things many people seem to lack the ability to do).
While providing a choice is a necessity, providing an educated and selected choice is imperative. You need to make sure you cover two things:
- You understand the needs of your users. Ask them what they need. Don't use a survey or an email -- Actually take people out for coffee or sit down in a conference room and talk to them about what they have and what they want.
- You have researched and vetted the tools that you are offering. Once you've completed your interviewing, take some time to look at your options. Just because something is new and shiny does not mean it's the best solution. Look at what's in house now and see if you can modify that to fit the needs of your users.
That wasn't so hard, was it? You had to be human. You had to ask. And most importantly you had to listen to what your users needed. You'll wind up with much happier users and a system that's manageable. It's a win-win for everyone. Now get out there and make some changes!
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