Technology RFP

Last week I received an RFP to respond to. Some company wants a DMS with workflow and an RM component. There is a list of several hundred requirements that need to be fulfilled and standards to be met. The only thing that is missing is a business case. There was no mention of what the system was actually going to be used for. That made a technology alarm bell ring for me.

As a provider of ECM solutions, I like to do successful projects. To me, being successful means adding value to the client's business. When I'm done they should either make more money, spend less, or have increased the quality of their work or product. Introducing new technology such as ECM can lead to such successes, but not by itself. It needs purpose. By itself it's just a pretty box that can do neat tricks.

I can take my own company as an example. I'm in a company of technology consultants working for clients throughout the country and even abroad. One day someone said "We should work together more closely. Since we're now a certified Microsoft partner, we should use MS Instant Messaging, so we can see who's on-line and get instant feedback". We tried, but in practice most people are off-line. We introduced some technology, but it fails to provide any value.

Last week we had a company meeting. We spoke of trends in the market and how they affect us. We decided we should invest in social media, to better understand their use, so we can better advice our clients about them. We thought about which media could benefit our own business best and we chose to start using Yammer. It has already been more successful than the old solution has ever been.

That's just one example of what it takes to successfully introduce new technology. You need to start with a shared strategy first and then implement technology and change processes to fulfill that strategy. It is even preferable to have strategy without technology, than technology without strategy, as Joe Shepley points out in this article.

So, I'm off to the client to find out what they intend to use their new DMS system for...