Q-07Technology
I am about to buy software, computers or a system
What to settle before you compare products or sign a quote.
Write down what the work needs before you look at products. Most expensive technology mistakes are a good product bought for the wrong problem.
4 things to look at
- The problem. Stated in terms of the work, not a product name.
- The users. Who will use it every day, and what they do now.
- The full cost. Purchase, monthly fees, internet, training and repairs.
- The dependence. What happens if the supplier closes or the one person who understands it leaves.
Checks you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time. Do them in order. If they answer the question, you do not need us.
Write the problem without naming a product
Not “we need a point-of-sale system”. Try “we do not know what was sold each day or what stock is left”.
List who will use it and what they do today
Ask them. They know which steps are painful and which are fine.
Check what you already own
The phones, computers and accounts you have may already do it. So may a free tool.
Get three written quotes against the same list of needs
If each supplier quotes for something different, you cannot compare them.
Add up three years of cost
Purchase price, monthly fees, internet, training, repairs and replacement.
Ask who holds the passwords and the backups
The business should hold them, in writing, not only the supplier or one member of staff.
- The purchase is large for the size of the business.
- The quotes cannot be compared with each other.
- Several people or departments will depend on it.
- You were told you need it and are not sure why.
ADA also sells technology, through ADA Web and ADA Tech. A Technology Plan from ADA Consulting is written so that any supplier can quote against it, and you are free to take it elsewhere.
Technology Plan
Decide what the work needs before you look at products. Strategy before implementation.
From N$1,299
Related questions people ask
Is it cheaper to decide quickly?
Rarely. A week spent writing down what you need usually costs far less than a system that is bought, half used and replaced.
We are a small office. Is a plan too much?
For one laptop, yes. For anything several people will depend on, such as a shared system, a network, a website that takes bookings or new software, an hour of planning is cheap.
Related questions
The same mistakes keep happening
Work takes too long, gets redone, or depends on one person being there.
OpenI want to grow but do not know what to do first
Many ideas, limited time and money, and no clear order.
OpenSomething is wrong and I cannot say what
The business feels stuck, and there is no single obvious cause.
OpenTell us what you are trying to decide.
You do not need a business plan to talk to us. Say what the business is, what you want from it and what is in the way. A Business Check-up costs N$199 and comes off any other service you book within 30 days.