OpenUp - Conclusion

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Conclusion

As you can see from the case studies, eBusiness and IT can be of benefit in a huge variety of ways.

The technology seems set to continue to grow rapidly in power and cost effectiveness. Companies that fail to adopt these tools will be left behind by competitors who do. In the future, you will be expected to have a good understanding of how these technologies can be applied to achieve business objectives. To all the staff and managers assigned to eBusiness project teams, the flip side of the hard work ahead, is that the projects are typically challenging and exciting. They will also build skills, which will be of practical value to you personally and to your company in the future.

Basic Principles

The good news is that much of what you have just read will remain valid indefinitely. It will always be necessary to apply basic management practices.

Good practice guidelines

Have a clear picture of the business benefits you are trying to achieve
Pick good people to work with, whether internal staff or external consultants
Deal with the concerns and aspirations of staff
Pay attention to detail when analysing the current situation
Plan projects carefully and monitor progress
Work constantly at consulting and communicating

These guidelines sound like common sense and they are! Nevertheless, in practice, as the case study companies kept reiterating to us, it is all too easy to neglect basic principles. As one recently retired IT project manager put it, “there is a whole new generation out there and they are making the same mistakes we made, all over again!” So, as you proceed with your project, keep these guiding principles in mind.

Timing is all

The case studies emphasise that significant eBusiness projects, the ones that create major headaches for competitors, take a long, long time before the effects become visible in the market place. If you wait till you see your competitors reaping obvious benefits from eBusiness, it may already be years too late to try and imitate them.

Even if you are not planning a significant IT/eBusiness project in the immediate future, at least make sure that any shortterm decisions you make do not impede potential future developments. For example, if recruiting a production manager or accountant, other things being equal, you might give preference to a candidate who has been through a major eBusiness project.

Future Developments

Parts of this guide will be out of date almost as soon as it is printed. It is not just technology that is going to change. For example, significant new eBusiness related legislation is likely to come into effect some months after this guide is printed and the way in which people apply IT seems set to radically alter certain business sectors. So there is a need to stay abreast with new developments. The Enterprise Ireland eBusiness website (www.openup.ie) and the free electronic eBusiness magazine which you can subscribe to at that site, are two good ways to start. Other sources of information are outlined in the “Useful Links” section of the CD.

Take the Challenge!

eBusiness and IT can offer huge benefits if done right. However, the right decisions are not always obvious and misguided projects can be damaging. Your challenge is to ensure that your company uses these potent tools wisely. We hope this guide and CD, along with all the other eBusiness information provided by Enterprise Ireland, will help you to do that!