Paul McKey - Synergistic Design

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported on Tuesday last week of a software implementation project being carried out by Bearing Point Australia for Canon that went horribly wrong.

The result was the former CEO being sentenced for one count of falsifying his former company’s books and one of misleading auditors. These offences occurred in 2004 and according to the AFR the evidence cited showed that “big technology projects are just as much about people and corporate politics as about computer code”.

Well hallelujah! Sometimes the obvious just needs to be stated. This is the exact reason why Synergistic Design was developed, to help decrease the high failure rate of technology centric projects by creating synergy between all the critical perspectives of a project. One barrister described these perspectives as “various underlying agendas and different interest groups” Well perhaps this is news to Bearing Point but they exist in every project. Ignore them at your peril. It appears this project failed on a number of fronts;

1. Business - Interference and politics were the order of the day from the head offices of both sides. Early finance estimates were locked in yet became impossible to meet.

2. Purpose - Canon wanted to change its business practices to take advantage of the technology capability. The brief kept expanding and the original work contracts and consulting estimates were now being disputed by both parties. Who was doing what for how much now became the focus of the contract.

3. Technology - The Oracle software involved was new. Yet it was decided to extend its use beyond the original ERP(enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship management) to include payroll and human resources.

4. People - As the AFR article states “Canon wanted big changes made to its business as well, which meant convincing people to change the way they worked.”

And there probably lies the biggest yet least attended variable in the mix of a successful technology implementation, the people. When a contract is focussed on the politics and finances, the work, and the capability the technology can provide, it is very easy to lose sight of the most critical success factor, the people. Building the organisational change in the from the outset and not creating a technology driven project will always lead to improved outcomes. New technology can possibly create more problems than it solves. It is poor business to compete on the price of technology alone while leaving your project vulnerable to risk on all other fronts.

Bearing Point wrote off AU$9.3M against the project. A figure that Synergistic Design could have lessened and perhaps even turned positive.

I regularly present my current thinking at self-promoted seminars. And almost invariably, someone, usually a business owner, will ask me what I achieve from this activity. Since I am a consultant who doesn’t sell anything, except time and expertise, that is a fair question. And the answer is quite a lot!

I have just completed a seminar titled “Business Success with eLearning” in two cities on consecutive days. As always I learnt as much as I informed. Standing in front of an eclectic crowd of your peers can be a very resourceful , humbling and rewarding experience.

Resourceful in that you typically have a broad audience who have identified your seminar as one which interests them enough to invest time and go out of their way to attend your talk. While some of them will match your intended audience most will be on the fringes of your topic. Watching their reactions, hearing their comments and reading their evaluations is a truly educational experience providing informed market research you could well pay thousands of dollars for.

Knowing about these fringe dwellers and what their interest in you and your product or services is can be incredibly informative. Preaching to the converted will tell you little yet by convincing the fringe dwellers of your worth you will expand your networks and markets.

Humbling in that exposing your ideas to others is always an anxious experience yet one you should go through regularly. A seminar is an opportunity to test ideas and insights in public. Not everyone will agree with you but just the sheer act of exposure allows ideas to take on a life of their own which may result in unknown benefits in the future. I have had clients contact me months, even years, after one of my talks to let me know they have been chewing on something I said and now want to implement, act on, or discuss the idea further.

Remember even the great ideas don’t always get total acceptance first time around. Yet if your ideas are not aired they may well die with you. And you don’t want humanity to suffer like that, do you?

Rewarding is the only way to describe the experience you get for going through the hard work and anxiety involved in the delivery of a successful and popular seminar. Not the least because for an hour or two your ideas, products and services and personal character are all centre stage for your audience. If you treat them to a well organised event with a topical subject they will reward you with undivided attention and a critical ear. Provide regular elements of interaction and discussion in your format and you will get the added benefit of their expertise and contribution to your ideas. Yes people will be adding to and improving your ideas.

Ironically the inclusion of interactivity takes the pressure off you and adds variety to your event. People love to contribute. Give them the floor and facilitate a vibrant and intelligent discussion and your audience will come away enlightened and enthused. And once again it will be your ideas that sparked their fire.

So do it. Go ahead and plan a simple breakfast or evening get together. Provide an easy to access venue and some refreshments. Send the invitation to your mailing list with a catchy title and let them know what they will get out of attending. Whether you are selling, consulting or just airing ideas you feel passionate about, using seminars to launch those insights is a fast and valuable way to achieve credibility, enhance your own knowledge and ensure the world gets to hear about about you and what you have to offer. Good luck!