Firms publish how-to for justifying e-business projects
IT managers need to assess the cultural impact of new systems, educate internal users, and provide a solid business case for return on investment if they want to push through major projects during the economic slowdown, according to a new guide.
IT professional services firm Company-i and integration solutions provider Tibco Software have published a guide to provide IT managers with ammunition for gaining board-level approval for e-business initiatives. The booklet, Against the curve: a guide to justifying e-business initiatives in a climate of cynicism, was launched earlier this month and provides ideas to improve business performance and rules for project success.
The guide's 12 Golden Rules give tips for project leaders on how to successfully implement e-business solutions while avoiding some of the common pitfalls. The advice includes pointers on gaining acceptance of projects through internal education and building on existing strengths.
To justify the financial outlay for new projects, the guide recommends the use of ROI calculators. These are designed to help companies assess how projects could improve efficiency, reduce costs and help the business achieve its overall strategy. They also help to identify the projects that will offer the most business value.
These calculators include prompt questions relating to current business processes, such as 'What is your average cost to produce and send a paper invoice?' The responses to these questions are then used to calculate realistic improvements that could be gained from implementing the proposed initiative.
The guidelines can be downloaded from the Company-i Web site.