December 4, 2007

Bringing IT Experts To The Executive Decision Making Process

When executives of smaller businesses make big decisions they often consult with their lawyer, accountant and other senior members of their company. However, one person missing from the mix is information technology experts.

These experts are called in after the big decision is made, and then asked to execute the decision. Technology experts should be brought in before a decision is made as often times their insight can give you a better perspective about these important decisions before you make them.

The WSJ writes that Laboratory Corp of America Holdings was finalizing a deal to become the official clinical laboratory for a unit of United Health. Part of the deal was to open 400 specimen-collection centers around the country.

Laboratory Corp was sure they could find the facilities and open them, but was not sure if they could connect the centers to their computer network.

Working with their IT department, they used "air cards" or wireless broad band cards to quickly connect all the centers to the Internet.

This is an example of IT enabling a solution. What about more revenue? One big insurance company used software from its IT department to enable its agents to write policies for small businesses - a $2.8 billion business for this company.

One reason many companies haven't worked closely with their IT department is that IT professionals often keep speaking in "geek" talk instead of speaking to their internal business customers and helping them clearly understand the problems and solutions involved.

What does this mean to your business?

If you have not been including technology experts in your decision making process, you are really missing out on opportunities for growth and better decision making.

To IT consultants: Stop speaking down to your customers and speaking in code to them. Speak in plain English and offer them clear solutions and scenarios to business problems.

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