BIAS METHODOLOGY
The advance in information technology and collaboration in recent years has made data and information much more accessible than ever before. Whilst the acceleration in IT has been widely appreciated, the development and changes of businesses processes to reflect that of the IT world has, by comparison, remained static. This situation has created a void, a void that exists in all types and sizes of business, from a small training or manufacturing company, to the large blue chip organizations.
The size of the void that exists between the business processes and correct use of IT is indicative of the benefits that can be gained by a business if this void is narrowed. The larger the void, the greater the number of opportunities that exist to significantly improve the performance of a business. Gains achieved in efficiencies within the business, productivity, all of which contribute to increasing the bottom line.
Some businesses are simply not aware that a gap exists; they don't see the potential. Their belief is that the systems and business processes that they have in place are adequate.
Attempts by businesses to narrow the gap can take many guises, most of which will create additional problems for you and your business, and don't solve existing ones! For example, how many times have you heard the recommendation 'Install the latest version of XYZ on a new server' or 'We have to purchase the latest version of ABC software application'. Such typical recommendations, echoed by both internal staff and external companies such as Consultancies and IT suppliers, are commonplace and yet several months later, you are left with the support costs of 2 different flavors of computing hardware or many dispersed application packages that require you to enter the same information more than once? Not a good return on investment in either case.
Too often people, at all levels of the business, have made isolated decisions when implementing IT solutions or changing the way that a business, or a department within a business, operates. Many have made these types of decisions because, until very recently, there was little or no synergy to be gained by ensuring that business models and the use of IT were very closely integrated and developed together in unison.
These types of decisions are often made in isolation or without knowing, or wanting to know, how a decision could affect the way in which a company does business.
The key to the success in narrowing the gap and realizing a wealth of hidden business benefits, is to narrow the gap from both sites. Allow the IT strategy to be influenced by the Business; and let improvements to the Business model be influenced by IT. This approach has to be done.
Quarterhouse Software have developed the BIAS methodology to enable Businesses to close the gap. Business Intelligent Application Solutions (BIAS) is the process of analyzing your business and IT processes and implementing solutions that provide a significant return on investment. Quite often however, this is achieved by leveraging your existing IT infrastructure and existing investment.