Wednesday, August 26, 2009

iPhone Innovation



What makes the iPhone so innovative? The innovation is in how Apple focuses on improving the user experience versus just providing new technology. Unlike other mobile phone companies who focus entirely on designing new technology capabilities, Apple went an additional step by improving processes to enhance the consumer experience. The iPhone isn't the first smart phone (Palm, Blackberry), but what is a first is how Apple has dramatically improved the user experience, providing a multitude of applications that can be easily accessed and used. The innovation and resulting success of the iPhone is not about new technology… it is about a dramatically improved user experience.

Why not take a similarly innovative approach by maintaining a focus on improving the business user experience. Go the extra step, thinking of the business results and user needs versus focusing entirely on new technology capabilities. Innovative improvements in your business can often be achieved by using the technology you have more effectively, rather than by adding new technology to the mix. This focus on the business user is a distinguishing factor in how IT projects are approached. The result could be a businesses that is better connected with its technology than ever before... now that is innovation.

Like with the iPhone, innovation in business is less about what the technology can do, but more about improving the user experience and how business stakeholders will use technology to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Achieving Workforce Productivity

"Doing more with less" that is the bottom line for the organization and that is why executives are constantly looking for ways to improve productivity among the workforce.
One area often overlooked in addressing workforce productivity is the area of predictive analysis. If you could only predict where problems will arise within the organization so you could be better prepared to mitigate the problem or respond more effectively.
Predictive analysis is especially critical when managing your IT infrastructure. How well does your IT infrastructure support your business requirements? Can you predict where your systems will next impact business performance? Do you know the demands made on your current systems or how demands will change with new business processes or spikes in production or workload?
What's lacking in many organizations is the visibility of your Business operations within the context of your Technology infrastructure. Business Technology Integration provides a new view of your organization and helps executives communicate with technology stakeholders to answer these critical questions. The Business and Systems BlueprintTM is a valuable predictive analysis tool that enables informed decision making, which can head off problems and dramatically increase workforce productivity.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A 3- Dimensional View

An Offer You Can't Refuse!

The health of an oganization is hard to measure. Executives can sense when something is not right, but it is sometimes hard to point to the problem. Often organizational health problems are defined in business-centric or technology-centric views. Consequently, almost all efforts focus on one of these two dimensions of the organization. Business modeling is done, with some processes changed, or new technology is explored and new systems are acquired. However, these approaches are missing an important dimension, the dimension of the organization. It is the organizational dimension that provides the context for business operations and technology, without it, business processes and systems can become mis-aligned, creating problems that are hard to isolate and remedy.

I would suggest a 3-Dimensional approach to assess organizations. By incorporating the business operations and technology support with overall organizational information, a unified view of problems can be provided. This unified look at an organization, business operations and technology provides solutions that transcend limited approaches that only re-engineer business processes or add yet another system to your technology infrastructure.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

AGSA News Letter for May

Check out the Accent Global Newsletter coming out on 21 May. Not on the distribution list? Request to be added at dlasley@accentglobal-llc.com