IT Strtegic Planning
The past 20 years have been traumatic for many AEC professionals. Learning technology-based solutions such as CAD and BIM have brought new values, revenues and processes to design-build and the business of construction. As technology grows from being used as an “electronic pencil” to being used as the basic form of business and communication, an entire generation of professionals has been caught in a purgatory between old and new. The tools of one generation are fundamentally different from the tools of the next generation; the best firms as the ones who have successfully bridged this gap.
This fast move into technology has created an entire group of design-build professionals known as “Generation Lost.” The technology tsunami of the 1990s and 2000s developed an entire group of design professionals and contractors that are at a distinct disadvantage moving into the next 20 years.
However, there is hope on the horizon that this next generation will move forward in great ways. Technology being used as a communication medium rather than a computing tool will break into the creative side, resulting in easier-to-use tools and new materials, methods and processes that will create a more efficient, effective and aesthetically pleasing built environment. The movement to holistic design will be a reality due to the integration of information technology, building technology and creative financial resources. And the design professionals of Generation Lost will find the creative boundaries of time, money and resources integrated into a higher value of design in the next 20 years, providing the opportunity to become “Generation Found.”
How do you ensure that your firm employs and attracts members of Generation Found? The first, and most important step, is to become more serious about information technology. IT needs to be an integral piece of your firm’s overall strategy and should have its own strategic plan that provides a roadmap for technology usage, decision-making and purchasing.
IT Strategic Plan
Your firm’s IT strategic plan is–or should be–a living document, which means it should be revised from time to time due to your firm’s changing needs and changes to the economic environment. The first draft takes the most resources to accomplish, but once in place, it becomes a valuable business tool.
Best practices state that a firm should develop its IT strategic plan based on a four-part format:
Vision
The vision is a statement that best captures the guiding principles for your firm’s IT. It must align with your firm’s core strategies and initiatives, and should describe the process, review the findings and provide the map to frame the IT strategic plan. The first step is to develop a vision statement for IT separate from your corporate vision statement. This concise statement should be used as the benchmark and provide the direction of all IT decisions. The vision can be a compelling description of the state and function of your firm once it has implemented the IT strategic plan. It can be as simple as: “Our firm is committed to the innovative use of technology to improve our efficiency and promote a better built environment.”
The next step is to create a mission statement used to describe the overall purpose of IT in your firm. When wording the mission statement, consider your firm’s services, markets, values and unique differentiators.
The final step is to make a list of your firm’s needs and wants with regard to IT. The idea is to get all of these items on the table so a priority list can be developed and become the goals for IT for your firm.
- Vision Statement
- Mission Statement
- Specific Goals
Assessment/Audit
An assessment, sometimes referred to as an audit, provides your current IT asset inventory. The audit consists of three components:
- Gather information for the equipment being inventoried, including the manufacturer, serial number, type, processor and speed, ram memory, size of hard drive(s), ports, etc.
- Inventory all software located in the firm and on the machines within your firm. Include the program name, manufacturer and version number. This effort should include identifying and matching the licenses for each piece of software used on your firm’s domain.
- Identify and map all of your firm’s IT network routes, including cable, routers, switches, etc.
When performing your firm’s first inventory, use your computer network to perform the task of data gathering. There are numerous network software programs available that reach into your firm’s networked computers and report back what the hardware specifications are and what software is loaded on the computer. This can save an enormous amount of time and money. In addition, you can leave this software on the network to perform audits on a semi-annual or annual basis.
- Hardware Inventory
- Software Inventory
- Licensing Review
- Network Identification
- Network Components
- Network Map
Gap Analysis
After the assessment/audit phase, review your firm’s inventory of equipment, software and networks. Define the future goals of your firm as they relate to IT solutions and services. The variances between these two points, also known as the gaps, provide the steps your firm will need to take. Based on these gaps, your firm can run various combinations of scenarios, the goal of which will be to rationalize the “best result” for your firm with regard to existing equipment, hardware and networks. In certain cases, a SWOT analysis can be used as a gap analysis tool by creating situations to be managed. The inventory and goals use tools to identify data elements, while the next phase of the strategic IT plan fills in the gaps with a planning document.
- Review of Inventories
- Definition of Future Goals
- Determination of Deltas
- What-If Scenarios/SWOT
Plan/Feasibility Studies
By using the gap analysis, the next step is to describe how your firm’s allocation of resources (people, costs and time) will create solutions for the “best results” of the gap analysis. This planning document also will identify the features and functionality of any proposed solution and initiative exposed through the gap analysis. In certain cases, more detail is necessary and a feasibility study becomes part of the planning document. During this phase of the project, your firm will be asked to affirm or revise fundamental process work issues about how it conducts business. The timing of these decision points will be critical to the successful on-time completion of this project phase. A meaningful plan must consider your firm’s forward fiscal budgeting plan and generalized personnel costs to establish a long-term plan for the overall IT program. This planning document and/or feasibility study also should provide an overview of the training issues and costs to consider in implementing the IT strategic plan.
Details of a feasibility study should include a determination of functionality criteria for each identified system and solution. This study should identify the best commercially available products along with a technical analysis for their ability to fill the identified gap and provide a cost analysis and a timeline of implementation for each recommended solution. Then invite vendors to demonstrate their system/solution to the firm. Following the demonstrations, prepare a budget analysis for each of the systems presented. Finally, in conjunction with the appropriate personnel, prepare a tentative implementation schedule for each of the systems.
- Allocation of Resources
- People
- Time
- Identification of Features and Functionality of Solutions
- Determine Product Evaluation Criteria
- Determine Best Available Product
- Technical Analysis
- Cost Analysis
- Benefit Realization Schedule
Identifying and Setting Future IT Goals
The vision phase is where most firms have problems with knowing what their goals are. Some goals are very tangible, like creating a built-in obsolescence plan for your computer hardware. This means that once a year, replace one-third of your computers with new ones. This keeps replacement costs in a set budget and allows a smarter management process.
The main driver and tool in the transformation of our industry is technology. When properly planned, implemented and used, technology is transparent to the process and your business objectives. When was the last time you thought about how a cell phone call is technologically accomplished? We don’t really care how it’s done. Our past attempts at implementing technologies in the design industry have been ripe for failure or limited success due to a lack of transparency. An example would be the promises of huge gains in efficiency by using web-based project management that has been met with less acceptance and far fewer success stories than advertised. E-commerce and supply-chain management also have been hampered by dot.com/cloud over-hype versus the reality of function and dependability during the heat of a project.
Beyond these missteps, the timing and combination of technology innovation, multi-enterprise workflow, business process change and economic need have brought a rare gift of meaningful change, which is beginning to shift the value that each of us brings to the table. We are at the same point as the banking industry 20 years ago. Labor-intensive and paper workflow-based, the banking industry began a transformation to data and digitization that has fundamentally changed the way we bank today. Could you imagine life today without an ATM? Fast forward to 2013 and take a look at your own design business. The paper-intensive AEC industry is poised for digitization that will affect, and be affected by, new processes that are beginning to streamline decisions, transactions and value along a new path that focuses on the management of profitability.
With the continuing emergence of newer technologies, AEC firms must begin the process of true technology adoption to remain competitive and retain core clients. Providing leadership by properly planning will lead to the successful adoption and usage of technology. It is an exciting and perilous time for our industry. Proper and innovative use of technology can help your business manage risk and provide a fertile environment for growth.