Small Things and Buyer's Remorse

You've probably heard the saying that goes something like, if you can trust a man in small matters, you can trust him in greater matters. Though it comes from Luke, it has been re-purposed by a number of well-known figures throughout history. The lesson, regardless of who may state it, is the same. And there is no better example than how major, international companies deal with seemingly minor issues.

I recently purchased a simple, inexpensive wall clock for our kitchen. It carried the label of a major electronics manufacturer. Now I am also in the market for a new flat screen television. The marketer of this clock also manufactures and sells televisions with all the latest technology innovations. When I got the clock home, installed the battery, and turned it over, it was apparent the clock did not work. Three to four batteries later, the root cause of the problem was determined not to be the power source but the clock works themselves. Essentially, a brand-new clock by a major manufacturer did not work. A simple clock. I must ask, if their quality is questionable on the small, simple things like a wall clock, how good, really, can quality be in the more complex and expensive televisions? Do you think this manufacturer will be in the running for the television that I WILL purchase in the next three months? Not likely. In fact, I will state here an unqualified "NO!" There's no way I'm even going to consider this brand of television. The models that were in my short list have been removed in favor of this company's competition.

Why should I take a chance on a major investment when a $14 purchase caused me such frustration? If they can't get the simple things right, what confidence might one have they can manage the more complex issues?

This whole television selection process has been rather interesting. Another major manufacturer has been relegated to the bottom of my short list because their web site is not user-friendly. I even took the time to write to their web master on two different occasions expressing my frustration in finding detailed specifications of their stable of televisions. In both cases, I got a polite response that they were "working on the issue." By the time you folks get your "issue" fixed, I will have selected a television by one of your competitors.

These simple experiences are lessons for the rest of us. We are in the business of providing services to our customers. Granted, they are technology services. But if we forget the customer's point-of-view, fail to plan to handle the small things properly, and make it difficult for our customers to get information about our services, we open our selves to criticism and, if there is competition (read this as OUTSOURCING!), subject to the same comparison shopping that I'm going through right now.

Well, this whole experience is making my choice easier. A bad experience with a $14 purchase has prevented me from what could be a $1200 mistake. My gain, that manufacturer's loss. And, thanks to the ineptness of these two companies, my short list of candidate televisions is getting shorter.

Holy Grail of IT Opeations?

Today's IT professional is caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Under constant pressure to reduce costs, they still have to keep up with changing business conditions in support of their customers AND deal with the increasing mobile demands of those same business customers. Is it any wonder they are looking for quick wins, simple paths to automation of basic tasks?

I would submit, however, they must focus on building the business case to focus on improving their people, their processes, and how they interact with the business. These are not easy tasks and, in many cases, do not come naturally to the technology leader of an organization. There is a need, no a mandate, for IT leadership to surround themselves with exceptional, high-energy, committed, and trust-worthy individuals. These are those to whom the IT leader will delegate the "running of the shop." This will then open the opportunities to focus his or her time on the governance and business issues that will guide the IT department in its strategic calling of supporting the business in achieving world-class competitiveness.

This takes an investment, time, and long-term vision. There is no quick fix here. If there were, everyone would have already done it by now.

Interestingly, everyone knows this. Yet we still chase after the elusive Holy Grail of IT Operations: instant automation, cost reduction, efficiency. Instant gratification is a fool's chase.