Struggles with Information Systems Implementation

 

Hi everyone!

I am back this week to chat about, as the title suggests, Information Systems and the struggles companies can face when implementing them. An information system comprises of interconnected components designed for gathering, storing, manipulating, and transmitting both data and digital information.

Information systems can be a valuable asset to an organisation, these systems store and manage data, they improve efficiency, assist with decision making by analysing data, and help complete tasks efficiently, however if the implementation of these systems fail it can be very costly to a company.

It is crucial that a business is prepared for the implementation and uses appropriate project management methods. Poor project management can result in running over on time and costs, and never seeing the benefits of the information system.

There are many information systems out there to choose from, and finding one to suit the needs of the business requires time, planning and money. The struggle can occur at the very beginning before starting the implementation, the company can make serious errors and incorrectly identify exactly what their expectations for the system are and choose a system that is not suitable for their needs.

With these systems the business does not usually buy this directly from the manufacturer they will need to go through a consultant that will assist with choosing, implementing and after sale service. If this consultancy does not provide an adequate service from the beginning and throughout, this can lead to problems throughout the implementation. 

Returning to the importance of project management, if adequate time and budget is not allocated for training end users or if the wrong individuals are chosen for the training, it may result in the systems not realising their full potential and failing to deliver any tangible value.

I provided links for you to read about some of these implementation failures;  Hershey’s Not-So-Sweet Blunder Hewlett Packard’s Disaster

Thanks so much for reading my blog, I hope this was informative for you!

Maria :-) 

Implementation Failures