Technology Implementation Paper
New Technology Systems:
Introduction and Implementation
A new technology is like a new machine. And of course, as all new machines are, one must read the manual of instructions before employing the technology. This is for the technology’s efficiency and high level of productivity in the field or fields it is to be employed upon. New technologies are instruments created to make work a lot easier for man. They make fast and quality services. They enable a healthy competition that makes the market and wider for the further benefits of consumers. And of course, consumers would always want the best for their money’s worth. So if one would like to stay long, survive, grow and compete in the market, then he and his company should adapt new technologies and measures in order to deliver what the clients want. All companies, whether in the fields of business, government or non-government services, are adapting newer technology to meet the demand of the mass public. Without these new technologies, companies will be outmoded and less adhered to, considering that the generation of today are well oriented to technology. But these companies should not simply invest on all new technologies. A company must be prudent and wise in all its investments. As quoted by Cyrus Mewawalla, a telecom analyst for Wetshall Capital in London, “Technology companies live and die from investing in the right product cycles.” (qtd. in Newsweek, 2006, p. 28). This means that as new technologies are being developed, companies who invest on new technologies at the right place and at the right time are most likely to displace other companies that are falling behind the technology race. An example to this is mobile phone being displaced by the Internet phone. The
Internet phone is much cheaper, faster and more accessible to most people particularly in
Europe, than the mobile phone. As can be observed in the specific case of Vodafone, a mobile phone services provider, losing 17% of its profits in 2006 due to the rise of the company Tesco an Internet phone provider (Foroohar, 2006).
A company, in order not to be displaced, must very well take steps to reform its integral system and operations. In order for it not to be left behind by other competitors, it must be inclined to technological changes. But changes within the company have to taken in a gradual manner. Change must be given due course, it shall neither be too fast nor too slow. Hence, there must be two phases in employing technological changes in the company. First of this phases is the technology’s introduction into the company; and the second of which is its implementation in the company.
In the introduction phase, the company administration must first orient itself with the technology. It must completely be knowledgeable about it. It must understand the technology. The administration must test the technology’s strengths and weaknesses. How will these strengths and weaknesses affect and impact the company. The
administration must be able to anticipate the possible advantages as well as disadvantages of the new technology. There must be feasibility studies taken for a certain period of time so as to ascertain the productivity of such technology and its helpfulness towards the company’s endeavors. Further, the administration must assess whether or not the company can compatibly adapt in general the new technology. Compatibility is a vital factor, for the technology is going to be with the company for quite a long period of time. This would require measures to ensure complete company compliance to the new technology. And of course, it must be ensured that everybody in the company knows how the technology works, what is it for and the ins and outs of such technology.
After accomplishing these, the second phase must take place. The implementation phase is where the new technology gets to be tested in its actual performance. Everything theorized during the introduction phase is ought to be accomplished, if done properly, in the implementation phase. Nevertheless, before the implementation phase, everything is supposed to have been prepared and well thought up otherwise, it would gravely lessen the technology’s efficacy rate.
The implementation phase includes and necessitates the full cooperation of the company and each individual’s accession and acceptance to the changes it would bring. Further, it also includes high levels of confidentiality among technical and non-technical staffs whether in the administration or in the subordinate level. Each individual member of the company regardless of rank must know their responsibility that the company’s secret remains a secret and its “new secret weapon” and strategy must remain within the bound of the company. As the saying goes “What you see, what you hear, leave it hear.” There must be no leakages of whatever sort especially to rival competitors otherwise then the company will be lost in its own game.
The use of the new technology on new project plans must be considered as sacred by all staffs and everybody should regard it with the highest level of confidentiality. Project plans integrate with them the centerpiece of the company. Project plans are the bread and butter of the company; they create what the company put in the market for sales. Hence, it is vital that they must be protected with the highest level of secrecy so as to avoid leakages that will lead other companies to copy their style or to beat them at the market. Patents and ideas are also integral parts of the project plans; likewise, they must be protected. How the new technology is applied or used in coming up with new projects must remain a thing of the company and must not be for everybody’s knowing.
In the implementation of these new project plans, the same level of secrecy and confidentiality must remain. Information regarding the new project plan, say for example a new product, must be categorized into matters that may be provided for media and public notice (advertising) and what may be not. The fact that the new product is created using the new technology may be provided a fact in the advertising process but as to the methods how the technology was used, it must remain confidential. The company must carefully choose what information must be proliferated for public consumption and what should be not. The caveat regarding competition and idea theft must remain.
In the training plans, all needed information, methods and techniques regarding the new project and the use of the new technology must be properly singled out to the company staffs and trainees. The weaknesses and strengths should have been properly oriented to the staffs. Suggestions must be taken into considerations not only those coming from technical staffs but also include those that may come from non-technical staffs. All efforts must be done in order to overcome the weaknesses of the new technology and in order to improve the results and standards of the new project. All the technical terms must be properly explained in terms understood by ordinary laymen. Avoid using highly technical terms that will only confuse the staffs. The training process must include only selected information, that is, it should only concern the necessary information regarding the new project’s functions. Data about the project’s internal secrets must be left out for these are company secrets as well.
Finally, support strategies must be laid down by the administration or the planning team for the purpose of reinforcing the strengths of the new technology and the new product and to overcome its weaknesses as well as to further maintain the company’s integral secrets about the new technology and how it works (SWOT Analysis, 2007. This will in turn keep the company alive in the market and viable for public consumption and adherence. The support strategies must contain other feasibility studies regarding the longevity of the new technology and the product. It must include anticipations as to the lifespan of the technology, when will it be outmoded and what are the necessary upgrades in case there is a new competitor. Other traditional and conventional methods of marketing, administration and advertising may be used to reinforce the technology as long as it is compatible and complimentary to the new product. A support team or committee must be created to closely monitor the developments of the new project. Regular meetings must be held to discuss the changes or possible changes regarding the new technology and the new product.
New technologies could make some companies and break the others (Lohr, 2004). In today’s competitive markets, a company must constantly keep itself abreast and updated to the new developments in science and technology. Just see how computer revolutionized the market industry; from the simple factory system of the old industrial world to the sophisticated outsourcing industry of the 21st century much has indeed changed. Capital is being exported all over the world as well as technology. Now it’s up to each company how to keep itself up in the market and how to continue its existence, consumers are dependent to new developments, so should companies be – in order to be competent.
Reference
Foroohar, R. (2006, November). The Call’s on the House. Newsweek. pp. 28-29.
Foroohar, R. (2005, January). Signal Lost. Newsweek. pp. 38-45.
SWOT Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2007, from
http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_swot.htm
Lohr, Steve. (5 July 2004). Knowing their politics by the software they use. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/05/technology/05systems.html?ex=1246766400
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