Progress Or Process?

The editorial team here at CRN got a painful reminder last week of the disconnect that often lies between the processes by which we live each day and the software that's supposed to help make those processes more efficient.

I won't bore you with all the details, but we've just adopted a new Web publishing platform by Interwoven, which was mandated by our corporate development team. The good news: We now have all these great tools to better organize our content and present it online to our readers in more meaningful ways. The bad news: Whoever designed the software has absolutely zero idea of how an editorial operation goes about its day. Our team has had to completely rework its way of doing work.

Mind you, I'm a complete believer that processes are meant to be changed over time, especially if they aren't working. I chatted about this last week with Jim Serafin, executive vice president of SBI.Entersis. His firm makes process a top priority in any assessment. Consider that SBI.Entersis slashed $29 million out of DaimlerChrysler's annual costs to run its incentive programs simply by suggesting changes to the workflow. He says most of his better customers are completely open to the idea that process should be addressed first, so that any technology deployed after the fact will have a bigger impact.

Meanwhile, here at CRN, we've had to change our process simply because that's how the software was designed. End of story. That is, quite simply, the fastest way to lose support for an IT project. Sure, we'll adjust, but why should some engineer decide how I should edit a story?

Next time your customer complains that a project deployment wasn't successful, take a step back and ask yourself how much time you spent assessing what the teams who wound up using the technology really wanted and needed to make their lives easier.

All this reminds me of how most vendors overlook what could be one of their most valuable assets in product development"their channel partners. How many of your vendors actively solicit your input in product design, rather than just throwing a beta at you after the thing is almost fully baked? Now more than ever, those vendors that solicit feedback will be better-positioned for success, and you should use this as another measure when selecting the products you include in your own solutions.

How are you progressing on process? HEATHER CLANCY, Editor at CRN, welcomes your feedback and e-mail at hclancy@cmp.com.