Building a new IT platform

So, technically your ready. You’ve build a new technical platform with the latest techniques and the best resources and probably spend a whole lot of money on it. You’re standing there, proud of what you achieved, but the end user is giving you the “Mwah.. it’s maybe faster, but I don’t see any change” look. Whats’s going wrong?

As with most IT platform projects, most things change under the hood. We focus on changing the engine on a driving truck without stopping it. This means as less change or interruption to the end-users work. Of course this is a very important thing to do, but from the end-users perspective there is’nt a lot of change. Just a whole bunch of time and effort that’s been put in something he probably never sees. This is frustrating for bot IT guys and end-users. In this article I’d like to focus more on the end-user to get better end results for everybody.

The way how to do this, is surprisingly simple. To get a happier end-user, the focus should be on him in the first place! Right from the start, the project to build a new platform should begin with the end-user. But how? The most projects start from technical point of view. Outdated software, low resources, old hardware, cloud migration, etc. The end-user is put in the project almost as a reminder to not interrupt his work and to change nothing for him.

If you are starting a project, first go to your customer. Ask him what his biggest challenges are, what’s frustrating him te most, when he will be happy, etc. Then take him on to a journey in possibilities. Show him what new techniques are available, take him to your IT partner for a cup of coffee, let him see how other companies are solving similar IT challenges and get his mind going. Help him generate the wildest ideas what can be done with IT.

This creative process is essential for your project. The end-user is going to tell you exactly what he wants from the new platform. This is vital for your project to succeed. Most IT guys are “afraid” of this aproach, because it is outside their comfort zone. It doesn’t give them a clear picture of what to build. They say things like “That’s not possible within our platform” or “This can never be achieved with this and that software”. Bla bla bla, bullshit! If you never ask a user what he would like to do to improve his work, you are never going to build something he will be happy with. You are only building something with flashy lights and shiny techniques that probably is state of the art, but is only fantastic for IT guys.

In the end, the END-user is going to be your factor of success. If you manage to stimulate a user to generate ideas to improve his work using your platform, you will start a chain reaction. The whole company is benefiting this aproach. Maybe you will even start a whole new set of products and services for your company. Now that’s something to be proud of!

I’m looking forward to here what you have to say about this. How would you build a new platform. Are you looking to the newest techniques or are you starting from the information a user needs? What devices will you use? Share your thoughts! Let’s talk about it.