When the Answer is Software (and When it Isn’t)

Technology is the answer to many questions. It’s also appliedto the wrong problems constantly.

Software is a tool to accomplish a goal. It is not a panaceafor all processes and problems. The real question is never whether softwarecould do something. It’s always whether it should.

When Software is the Answer

Software is a force multiplier when it’s applied to a specificproblem or business area. When your team is doing the same manual tasksrepeatedly, automation may be the answer. Software can automate those processesfreeing your team up to focus on tasks that actually require a human.

When your business growth has been capped by your current systems,then software may be the next solution you will look for. Businesses that limitthemselves because a product cannot scale with growth can fall behindcompetition and market drivers. Software may be a solution that enables your growth.

When your company keeps running into errors when data ispassed between people or systems, then software may be the solution. Softwarecan automate handoffs to ensure data is getting into the right placeconsistently.

When Software isn’t the Answer

Software won’t help every situation. If the process is notfully defined yet, then software can’t help you. Software is great atautomating repeatable functions, but if you have not defined your process yetyou don’t know what you might be automating.

When the problem is people, software may not be the bestsolution. Holding people accountable is not something software can effectivelydo. While software can help you track data about people, it can’t hold themaccountable.

Ultimately software needs to be worth it. If a repetitivetask is not completed very often, you must decide whether that weekly 30-minutetask is worth spending money on automation. Sometimes, manual is just the rightanswer.

Before you commit to a software build, you need to ask whatproblem you are solving. Is technology standing in the way, or is it somethingelse? Software built around a poorly defined problem will solve the wrong thingefficiently. That’s an expensive outcome. Getting an outside perspective beforecommitting to a build is almost always worth the time.

If you want an outside perspective, book a free 45-minutecall. No pitch – just a real conversation.