Technology Issues Checklist

Systems Availability

•    The “systems are down again”
•    Adding new technology has not improved reliability
•    The “server needs to be rebooted” is a familiar phrase
•    “The database is corrupted again – everybody please log off”

System Performance

•    Adding new technology has not improved speed of the applications
•    Users often wait 30 seconds or more for the “next screen”
•    “I’m taking a break while the system is working…”

Return on Investment in Technology

•    New IT “investments” don’t fix the problems
•    The root cause of the issues is never found and fixed
•    We spend too much money on technology…
•    How will this help us make money?

Effects on Users

•    The system prevents the Users from being productive
•    Morale of users is low – they don’t have the tools to perfrom their jobs
•    Employee turnover is high resulting in high recruiting and training costs
•    Users can’t focus on doing their jobs because the technology keeps failing

Effects on Customers and Service

•    “I’m sorry, our systems are slow…” or “I’ll have to call you back with an answer…”
•    A few Customers complain about poor service – we don’t see a lot of repeat business
•    Key Systems are off-line during business hours while nightly processing completes
•    The system fails under heavy load – peak hours, financial reporting, etc.

Effects on IT staff

•    The IT staff never has time for new projects
•    Difficulty to troubleshoot the problems - different errors occur on a seemingly random basis
•    The programming staff is unable to fix the problem
•    The IT team is constantly “fire fighting” and does not have time for new projects that can help the         business

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How Did You Score?

If you recognize any of these issues, your technology infrastructure is effecting your business!