There has been and continues to be a rapid transformation in our job roles that is directly correlated and driven by the growth of technology. Tech advancements leading to organizational and role change have proven to be boundless and in overabundance can complicate our lives, jobs, and give us an information overload. So much change can become a significant threat to your business. Learning to control how you view and accept/reject new technologies is vital to survival.

The question needs to be asked — How do I review and recognize industry challenges, changes, and trends? Most organizations will conduct an annual audit, to review the prior year’s results.  Through this annual practice, organizations identify new business opportunities, compliance failures, new regulatory mandates, required process improvements, department goals, all while aligning themselves with the company goals, strategy and mission. By participating in this formal process at least yearly one can evaluate to see if a technology is helping or hindering goal achievement. To one extreme, some have come to believe this mandatory exercise is meaningless and ineffective, and on the other end of the spectrum, some may be guilty of over auditing. As technology evolves, you can understand how regular assessment is critical. If there is something that is giving another company a competitive advantage over your, why wouldn’t you look at adopting a similar program?

The chaos due to rapid technology transformation can connect or disconnect you from new and evolving business practices.  As business leaders, you need to decide what it will be for your organization. Which technologies should you grasp on to and which should you ignore? It can be tempting to leave best practices behind as we get caught up in mundane and daily business processes. In today’s global economy, ignoring best practices just isn’t an option. Just because there is a new technology doesn’t mean it is right for you. Always review new technology with your companies’ best practices as a guide to see if it could be a fit.

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Adopting a new technology if anything should give you more reason to follow and understand the best practices of your chosen software and industry, especially if it is new to you. You will most likely want to follow some sort of guidance so look for a Customer Success Manager that should be assigned to you throughout your purchasing and onboarding process. Let their expertise guide the way. Don’t be afraid to get help. By allowing a Customer Success Manager to guide the way, you can be assured they have the knowledge and commitment to help you on your journey of discovery that will ultimately lead to the correct business decision.

Overseeing maintenance is a big responsibility. There is asset management, including maintenance, WO, PM, inspections, scheduling and other related maintenance protocols. The cloud based maintenance management software that are available today are powerful, simple to use and very affordable when you evaluate the ROI. Anytime you are adopting something new ask yourself these questions; is this helping the bottom line, improving worker productivity, improving employee morale and will it make the organization more successful?  As you explore your options, you will come to recognize what most industry leading organizations have already known and that is that you can’t afford not to have a CMMS.  While there are many choices out there don’t fall victim to Analysis Paralysis. In an article by Julian Birkinshaw a Professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School, she says “You’ll learn more by launching a minimum viable product than repeatedly revising a clever business plan”. It is important to be aware of what is out there, but if you wait and wait for the next big thing you may just continue to use your old software and be left even further behind as you are distracted deciding on all the shiny new options.

When you do find a technology that meets the best practice needs for your company, get your teams on board to help articulate and make arguments for what this year’s annual budget should be spent on. As a business leader, be sure that a cloud based CMMS system is your top priority. Of course, there is always going to be some new glitzy technology, but why not spend your money on something that is a proven?

Don’t have budget currently available? Start building your case for purchasing a CMMS system now, that way when there are changes or new products out there you have the best information available for when you are ready to purchase. Remembering the times when you could have utilized it is great info to pitch to the boss. Driving Transformation Changes and Getting Management on Board with your purchase decision may be difficult at first, but after you do, it makes the next part so much easier, because everyone feels ownership of the project and see’s the need for complete organizational adoption; including onboarding, implementation, and ongoing training.

About the author

ManagerPlus

ManagerPlus is the preferred solution across the most asset-intensive industries, including Fortune 500 companies, to improve reliability and minimize downtime.
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