Rapid technology adoption has been an essential survival mechanism in recent months as business strive to adapt to the evolving conditions amid the global pandemic. Most businesses are now acclimatised to remote working, along with various other challenges, and are operating under the ‘new normal’.

Now is the time to take a step back and review any changes that have been made, and plan how the business will continue to operate flexibly in the future as this situation evolves.

There are several key questions you should now be asking yourself:

HAS IT SOLVED THE PROBLEM?

Seems like an obvious question, but given that a lot of solutions, such as video conferencing tools, have had to be implemented quickly it’s easy to forget to step back and really consider – has this solution solved a problem?

It’s important to take some time to check back and see if the solution has met the business needs, and whether users are satisfied that it meets their individual needs. If it doesn’t, now is the time to investigate and understand why. It could be that the needs have changed, or that the needs were not well understood to begin with.

HAVE OUR PROCESSES ADAPTED?

Bringing in new technology is only part of the solution. Trying to force old processes into new technology is always fraught with challenges and can ultimately lead to rejection of the technology by end users.

Look back. Have processes adapted to work with the new technology? Are the team using it in the way we expected, or have workarounds started to creep in? Are there redundant processes that now need to be streamlined?

IS THERE NOW REDUNDANT TECHNOLOGY?

You may not have had the time to assess if there is overlapping functionality with existing tools, and that’s ok when there is an urgent need to solve a business-critical problem. But excess technology can present unexpected challenges, from security to escalating software costs.

Take some time to review your technology stack. Are some tools now under-utilised or no longer required? Could you be reducing costs by cutting out or reducing subscriptions? Do we know who has access to each tool?

IS IT RIGHT FOR THE LONG TERM?

In many instances the long-term strategy for the organisation was put aside to focus on the immediate business need. But any technology that is going to stay in place, should be evaluated to see if it is aligned and going to support the long-term strategic goals of the business.

It’s fine if it was just a short-term solution, but if you are planning to make further changes in the near future, make sure your team know. You will need them on board and prepared to go through the learning cycle again, if the long-term solution is to be successfully adopted.