Comments on: How Business Automation Projects Fail, Part 1

By: Accountant Careers

Accountant Careers — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:37:33 +0000

Automation can certainly be tricky – I think a lot of these failures can be avoided upstream though if enough planning is put forth ahead of time. I think they say a large percentage of failed businesses are due to these types of failed ERP programs being implemented poorly and a huge loss of customer trust. Undeniably not something to enter lightly, or without the help of a skilled consultant!

By: BizSugar.com

BizSugar.com — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:57:37 +0000

How Business Automation Projects Fail…

Even the simple task of choosing an off-the-shelf small business accounting package can backfire if you don’t analyze the requirements correctly beforehand….

By: Twitted by ian_harper

Twitted by ian_harper — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:56 +0000

[...] This post was Twitted by ian_harper [...]

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:02:28 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Duncan. You make a good point about the type of business owner who is prone to making snap decisions. I’ve met a number of those in my career. What they often don’t realize is that their intuition is great in areas that they’re very familiar with, but it may not be so great in technical areas where they’ve had little or no training. They get used to successful instant decisions in their areas of expertise, and they start to believe that they’re infallible in other areas. It doesn’t always work out well.

Steve

By: DuncanM

DuncanM — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:57:13 +0000

This is very true Steve, in fact I’ve been guilty of similar things in my own business career. It usually happens because not enough thought is put into the end result the business is trying to achieve and whether there is a better way of executing the process with more efficiency.

It also is often the case that the type of boss who tends to try and run everything just makes an instant decision about what is best with little regard for those who will be charged with carrying it out. Many times it pays to seek the advice of others who may already have carried out what you are attempting to learn from them about pitfalls they found so you can avoid making the same errors too. Where the process is involved it’s often a good idea to seek professional advice, yes it might cost more initially, however in the long run it will likely save a lot more than a seat of the pants approach.

By: Alternative to $7 Secret Scripts?

Alternative to $7 Secret Scripts? — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:28:21 +0000

[...] tempts you to say, "Hey, that one looks good" too early in the process. In fact I wrote a blog post about this very point recently that you may find interesting. [...]

By: Gino Franco

Gino Franco — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:32:54 +0000

That’s exactly why specialists are important. An accountant simply won’t be familiar with all the needs and solutions despite the financial background.

By: Bill Alston

Bill Alston — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:47:26 +0000

This article proves the importance of thoughtful preparation. Too often do people decide to launch an idea or open a business without taking the time to organize how it will run. They get so caught up in the innovation of their idea that they are unable to see past the developmental stages. The example given in this article of a business owner purchasing software incompatible to the design of his corporation is precisely what I am referring to. He was so excited about getting his idea off the ground that he eagerly swallowed the accountant’s advice without considering any other programs. If you are unsure about any part of the preparation for your business, take the time early on to seek expert advice and shop around for the best options. This will save you money, time, and headaches down the road.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:47:39 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Mox. That story is a good one and very apropos.

In that instance, at least the customer knew enough to call a washing machine repairman. In business, often the owners and executives don’t even know what kind of specialist they ought to be consulting for this type of project. They don’t know that such a thing as a consulting business analyst or business process specialist or software requirements analyst even exists, so how can they be expected to call one?

I’m sort of trying to educate the world about this, one business owner at a time.

Steve

By: Mox Kirby

Mox Kirby — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:16:41 +0000

That’s exactly why specialists are important. An accountant simply won’t be familiar with all the needs and solutions despite the financial background.

Reminds me of a story:

‘A washing machine repairman shows up at a call, and examines a non-working machine for a minute. Then he takes a rubber mallet and hits the side of the washer. The machine begins to work properly, and the repairman hands over a bill for $65 to the customer.

Of course the customer is outraged by the bill, and starts yelling, ranting, etc.about $65 for 1 minute of work being ridiculous.

The repair man writes a new itemized bill as follows
~Hitting machine with mallet ~$1
~Knowing where to hit it ~$64′

There’s a few versions of the story, and I can’t remember where I first heard it, just thought it’s a good example o specialist labor. I wouldn’t call my accountant to fix a washing machine, or to provide an automated business model.