Technology leaders are often faced with several alternatives when making investment decisions.
Different technologies, different investment costs, different capabilities and different promises for the future...
In every project I have managed, I have evaluated decisions against current operational requirements, future growth objectives and the long-term sustainability of the investment.
Once the operational requirement is defined correctly, different technology alternatives can be evaluated against the same criteria.
Investment costs can vary significantly. Price is an important component of the decision.
The essential task is to establish the right balance between investment cost, operational requirements, sustainability and future growth.
The solution’s compatibility with existing processes, scalability, internal manageability, support model and total cost of ownership should therefore be evaluated together.
Before considering how many features a system offers, the organization needs to determine which capabilities it actually requires.
Understanding the operation is critical.
Technology decisions made without understanding field processes, how users work, operational critical points and future requirements may struggle to deliver the expected value.
Technology investments should therefore always be evaluated from within the operation.
This approach forms the foundation of the right investment decision.
My core principle across the projects I have managed has been to proceed with the architecture best suited to the operational requirement.
From a CIO perspective, the real performance of a technology investment becomes visible after the system enters day-to-day operations.
When evaluating technology investments, the answers to two questions have always mattered to me.
1. Can operational processes be managed reliably and sustainably?
2. Does the investment continue to create value for the business?
Related Case Study
You can explore examples of technology choices shaped by operational requirements across my manufacturing case studies.
Explore Related Case Studies →This article is original content written by Melih Gökdemir. Short excerpts may be quoted with attribution. Copying, republishing or using the full article or a substantial portion of it for commercial purposes without permission is prohibited.