Cloud computing has created an added dimension to technology decisions.  Software selection decisions that have traditionally been made comparing the fit of an application to business requirements are now more complex.

Cloud and the buzz around it still remains a mystery for many business managers, and in many cases they are not interested in evaluating cloud options or their own internal systems options when deciding how to best address their technical needs.  IT organizations within many companies do not always have the necessary skills or a broad enough perspective to be able to support this enterprise need. It takes a comprehensive approach to take optimal advantage of Cloud services.  “Consider enterprise or business architects, for starters. This emerging discipline will help bridge the gap between IT and the business at a time when it could be extremely costly to have such a gap,” says Joe McKendrick’s, in Forbes. 

This unique combination of skills that bridge the gap between business need and Technology is going to be critical for organizations to be able make smart decisions when looking for ways to leverage the speed and cost savings that cloud computing can potentially provide. The decision making process is no longer identifying the right software package that can address a companies needs.  The decision making process will now include technology platform, business function,  and service level to name just a few additional criteria.  Organizations need to understand the new pricing models in order to determine the true total cost of making the selection.

Here are some of the common myths concerning moving technology infrastructure:

• “Our current people work with Technology everyday and they can handle the move”
• “We can just turn the equipment off, move it, and turn it back on and we will be fine”
• “It’s just hardware – how hard can it be?”

The truth is that moving technology is fraught with risk.  The most significant risks are the disruptions to critical operations during the move of equipment, applications, and staff. Other risks include cost overruns, scheduling issues, delays and loss of business revenue and impact to customers.  When a company is planning a move, the key questions that should be asked are:

• What are your most critical systems and what would it mean if they were not available for an hour, a day or a week?
• What is the financial impact of those systems being unavailable?
• What is the customer impact of those systems being unavailable?
• What is the legal/organizational impact of those systems being unavailable?

Organizations typically do not have the internal knowledge and experience to plan, coordinate and manage a successful technology move.  A lack of documentation, limited inventory of equipment and software, limited documentation of interdependence between systems, and lack of planning all contribute to the challenges of a move.  Because a transition is an infrequent event, it also requires unique and specific skills.  How well positioned are you for your next move?

In this time of business uncertainty, companies large and small are looking for ways to take advantage of some of the most affordable real estate values in a decade.  Most companies focus a great deal of attention on identifying and securing their new location but severely underestimate the time and effort that is required to plan and execute a successful business move.   They will typically start planning for the move 60 to 90 days before they plan to execute it.    If you are planning to move within 60 days and you have not begun your move planning, you are already too late. 

Key items like provisioning circuits and ordering hardware can have lead times in excess of 60 days, depending upon carriers and vendors.  Not allowing the necessary time to determine the inventory of hardware and software that a company has amassed over the last 5 to 10 years is a recipe for disaster when it comes to a move.

The key to a successful move is to identify the business risks to the move and to identify ways to mitigate the risks, and all of this takes time.

Over budget, morale issue and late.  There are plenty of reasons, but at the end of the day, is there ever a 'good' excuse?  Team cohesion and productivity impacts all of these and is something executives should keep a pulse on.  Your team - is it storming, norming, forming, or performing?   A very common problem is misdiagnosing the team.  For example, continuously reiterating roles and responsibilities to a norming or forming team may appear condescending.  Alternatively, expecting a team with unresolved issues to meet on a conference call and get something done will likely not happen.

When Agile is being used, this misstep may result in heightened schedule, delay and ultimately cost impacts.  As a project manager, understanding team cohesion and applying the right leadership style, at the right time will create a bridge to a higher functioning and more productive team.  In a recent example, a Trillium manager came on board to a team clearly in the storming stages.  There were internal struggles as well as trust issues with external vendors.  Leveraging skilled facilitation and expertise, the manager was able to apply expectations, define roles and responsibilities, set goals and measurable metrics and secure buy in across the team, ultimately resulting in a more productive team.