The 3 Ps of Technology

I’ve worked in technology for a long time. I’ve seen many things. I’ve seen implementations that went well. I’ve seen my share of things that didn’t go well. I’ve been thinking about what makes a difference in how technology is adopted (in a business) and those factors leading to a successful implementation.

I propose these 3 pillars to be considered for each implementation.

The 3 Ps of Technology: Purpose : Process : People

Purpose:

What is the purpose of the implementation? Everything that is done should be guided by the Purpose, an overarching goal (or outcome) that we are striving for. Typically the purpose is defined by a project or organisational goal. We are constantly guided by the Purpose ensuring we are on the correct path. The Purpose keeps us aligned to the strategic goals of the project and the organisation. This could also be considered "Why are we doing this?".

Process:

It’s not good enough to simply inject technology into an existing manual process. We need to think more deeply about the operation and outcome of the process and examine how technology can improve, automate or eliminate that process. We have seen plenty of technology disruption in society, we have seen the (almost) elimination of letters courtesy of emails. We have seen corporate emails reduce with Intranet (and Yammer, Workplace by Facebook) and reporting systems. Each time a process is visited, there is the opportunity to optimise that process – looking at the inputs and the outputs of that process. Is everything needed? How are the process outputs used? Can those outputs be optimised / changed for a revised process?

People:

All too often People (the user and customer experience) are not fully considered in implementations. How with People interact with the technology. How will the technology be used? Where and When will the technology be used? Why do People need to interact with the technology? How People use the technology needs to be understood and considered in any implementation. We can’t simply replace like with like or implement cosmetic change without considering the alternatives.

There are few magic answers that address each of the possible requirements for technology implementations. For each technology implementation, consider the 3 Ps and how they impact the project and how to achieve desirable and sustainable outcomes that are aligned with project and organisational goals.