People recognise that the right technology and the right people can make their lives easier. But if it's so easy, why for many firms, does it now cost so much, and yield so little?
The answer is often among the Top 10 biggest mistakes most companies make, often with People and Technology.
 
 
Mistake 10. Not investing because 'you're doing alright'
Many companies, large and small think they are doing fine. What they often fail to appreciate is the world is turning, and times are changing. Investing wisely is the key. What is alright today, may not be alright tomorrow, and preparing for those times is like a bear preparing to hibernate, only the night before winter sets in, when it is already too late. Make this mistake, and your troubles, and your company, will be over sooner than you think.
 
Mistake 9. Being sold on someone else's dream
Too many companies I have worked with have been sold on someone else's dream. A good salesman has created a need, when none really existed. And to save face, or to pursue this dream, more good money is being thrown after bad. Sometimes it is just right to stop and cut your losses. Learn from these mistakes. Don't compound them.
 
Mistake 8. Doing it just because the competition do it
People don't want to be left behind. As a result, they tend to look at others, and wonder what others are doing that they are not. What they fail to realise is that by cloning the competition they either become a second rate alternative, or they end up having 2 companies, their old one, and a clone of a new one. If they are in business, there is a reason. Look to what the customers want, most, and not focus on trying to copy what your competitors want to give them. Be your own identity.
 
Mistake 7. Choosing technology that is beyond their understanding
If you don't see the benefits, it is because the benefits are not clear enough. This can be because it's either your lack of understanding the value of these benefits, or simply because these benefits don't have the value that they are claiming.
Do what is right for your companies best interests. Learn what benefits will help your colleagues and clients, and work out whether what you are going to give them is actually what they need to benefit them, and the best way to bring it to them.
If you don't understand something, don't throw money at it. Understand your problems first. They might not turn out to be the problems you expect.
 
Mistake 6. Bending the business around available technology in use
One of the most common problems I have seen over the last 25 years in technology is that of companies jumping on technology capabilities, and building their business around it. If you're not careful, within 5 years, this technology is everywhere, and there is nothing special about what you offer. reliance upon any technology solution is bad. Unless you have infinite funds and infinite people, can you really afford to spread yourself in a new direction that technology, and not strategy, is suggesting?
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
 
Mistake 5. Not using the same technology that other departments are using
Many companies do not pool resources. Each departments focus on their own needs, and justify why it is the right solution, without an over-arching view that represents the best interests of the company as a whole.
That's not to say that one size fits all. It most certainly does not. The human body shares a number of organs, heart, liver, spleen, but is controlled by one brain. Be the brain. Don't have multiple hearts, spleens, and livers. Choose the right tools wisely for your business, and everyone can take advantage of them, but be careful that you're not paying for what you don't need. Technology doesn't have to be like that.
 
Mistake 4. Retiring equipment because of a manufacturers end of life plan
When technology goes end of life, it does not simply pack up. It often goes on and on. 
But all technology should be expendable. In this day and age, it is built with a shelf life set by the manufacturer, and limited by a number of other factors. If your business can afford to change at the whim of the manufacturers end of life programme, it should consider itself lucky. Some clients need to change technology according to their vendors changes, especially those with a strong data security bias, but as a generalisation, it's equivalent to a supermarket expecting you to replace all the food you have at home just because they want to sell you more, even though what you have is all still perfectly fine. Think about whose motives, your company or theirs, that you are serving.
 
Mistake 3. Creating a dependency on one specific technology 
The business should never be locked to any specific technology. That's just plain wrong to breed such a dependency. 
Always be ready to change technology by making sure that the technology is just a tool to aid the business, and isn't the business itself. My view? Never be reliant upon any one supplier. They are there to serve your companies needs; not to own and dictate your future.
 
Mistake 2. Know your identity. Understand firmly what you do. Find a niche that separates you
If two companies appear the same, potential customers are generally split between them, or awarded to the one people develop a positive relationship with first.
If you have a niche, whether it is used or not, this shows added value. Aurora, for example, has the skills to set up Project Offices, create kick-starter campaigns, deliver any projects (using our own people, or those of the client), and helping to define a roadmap. But the niche is that we work to help you do it on your own, so you can be independent of us too if you choose. We live our own values, and work by strong principles. Don't you want to know that the supplier isn't going to integrate themselves so much that you can't operate without them any more. There is little more powerful in a streamlined organisation than having a clear identity, and having products and services which demonstrate this.
 
Mistake 1. Make sure that your team understand that the value to the organisation of them has to far exceed their income
Many people think their income is a reflection of their role. it is not. It is a reflection of the benefits and value that they bring. If Aurora employed a Formula 1 driver, for example, would we really make the most out of them, and be able to pay them what he, or she, is worth and can get elsewhere? No matter where on the pay scale someone is, they need to generate the company more than they receive themselves, and if it can be done in a way that brings the most out of them, you're on for a winner.
Take advantage of the skills and knowledge of your staff beyond the scope of their roles. Without getting into the realms of the HR world, you've invested in people to work for your company, they have gained knowledge, and if they do a good job, they become valuable assets. But they are so much more than that. If they had a chance to prove themselves, find out how would they improve the company. Is there a way you can leverage this passion? At Aurora, we have a range of personality profiling tools to help identify what people are best suited to, and what they most want. Give them a chance to grow within your organisation, or the will grow out of the door.
 
These top 10 problems are often experienced when companies lose sight of their employees, their technology, their direction, and their identity.
 
2 words, done properly, can often address all of the above problems. "Transparent roadmap".
 
By creating a transparent roadmap for what each key stakeholder wants, their directions, their wants and needs, the benefits they provide, and their inputs, we can see how information, money, communication, technology, and sales and marketing strategies flow around the business. With this powerful overview, transparent for all key decision makers to see, can then help you collectively decide what projects will benefit the company most, whether cost saving, or cost generating, and make sure that whatever changes are made, are right for the organisation as a whole.
 
Aurora specialise in setting up highly effective Project Management Offices, focused on efficiency and revenue generation, and this often becomes the heart of the organisation with it's own value, both financially, and strategic, becoming clear. this all starts with understanding the roadmap. And without one, your company can be operating in the dark.
Project management done right should not be an overhead, but a cost saver. We specialise in saving you the money you need to invest in what you most need to do to grow your business, in size, product strength, and most importantly, your bottom line.
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