Sometimes the cause of an issue could be an external one, but most times the issue is internally caused.
It’s stated in our brand promise that we strive to provide our customers with competent service, diligent delivery, speedy response to ensure our partnership produces meaningful results. And we truly do. But every now and then we’ve seen businesses make some blunders which we hoped to have prevented.
Here are a few that some of our team members in Lava have seen and highly recommended that you, dear reader, steer clear of.
- Decisions Makers Aren’t Involved in Key Stages
During initial meetings on business process requirements, Lava apart from gathering data on what is needed by the customer also advises them on what they need to do on their end so the entire project goes on smoothly. One of it happens to be getting decision makers onboard at important stages. This is firstly, so that any objections or doubts raised can be solved at an earlier stage and not dragging on the timeline. Secondly, it’s for change management. If key individuals don’t buy the idea of a new solution, convincing the rest of the business users to is going to be an uphill task – and for one particular of ours this was certainly the case!
2. Not Having A Project Manager
We can’t stress the importance and the impact of a project manager’s (PM) role in any project. Not having a PM is like trying to cross a main highway, at peak hour… when the traffic light is down. The role of a PM is to ensure that the project timeline is adhered by every individual involved, control and manage resources accordingly and overlook the entirety of the project right up till the point of sign off as well as functioning as the reference point for all project related information. We had one particular customer who didn’t have a PM and instead placed a normal business user for that position. This caused a lot of difficulties for both parties because the business user lacked the experience, knowledge and understanding in order to smoothen the process. Needless to say, the whole project got dragged on way longer than expected.
3. “Going With the Flow” Isn’t Recommended for Projects
There are some situations in life that require you to just chill and see where it takes you. Implementation of solutions doesn’t fall under that category, unfortunately. At Lava, we highly emphasize on the importance of planning in advance, taking into consideration potential setbacks as well as the impact of a new implementation on the stakeholders. Which is why “winging” a project without a proper, well thought plan in place is a big, fat, no and doing so would result in a waste of resources and precious time!
4. Doing Things Without Understanding Why
Often times we find that customers capture data without thinking about why do they even need to capture it in the first place. Whatever data that is captured needs to have purpose to it, otherwise it leads to a lengthy process of filling up forms e.g. to report issues or capture interest or even potential sales with extra information that really isn’t necessary. With the info captured, it is always important to review how the insights that you as a business have captured could help in decisions, changes and communication with your relevant stakeholders.
5. Have A Little Foresight
During a meeting with a prospect’s CEO, it was explained how uploading data onto the cloud can enable their workforce to work from anywhere, using any smart device. The CEO brushed off the idea by saying that doing so would just mean unnecessary work of transferring data by the employees and that he did not wish to burden them by having access to work files from outside of the office. While the CEO’s intention of ensuring that his employees have a good work-life balance is noble, improving efficiency and finding the best method to serve your customers are two important aspects of business – lose that and you’ll find yourself being taken over by your competitors.
Lava Protocols is a digital architect that has been revolutionizing businesses of all sizes, from various sectors by consulting and bringing together business success through implementation of leading cloud based solutions such as Salesforce.com and Google.