D-STAR Methodology- Getting Results from Investments in Technology

Getting results from investments in technology is a serious challenge. A recent Conference Board survey of business and technology executives found that over 70% of the time, technology implementations failed to produce expected results. DataLan delivers technology solutions that improve business performance and provide results by getting people to change the way they work. Change is painful and expensive but successfully managing change is the key to getting business results.

How often have we heard:

There are four points to D-STAR™ - fours elements that need to be addressed to get results from technology:

Purpose

Technology must be aligned with company strategy, support policy and processes, and enable people to be more productive in order to provide a business case for change. Change is painful and expensive and can only succeed when fully backed by the organization’s leaders. Leadership will only drive change if it is strategic to achieving organizational goals - therefore leadership must have a clear and vision of the impact that technology will have and measurable criteria for project success.

People

Change is less painful and expensive when new technology improves individual performance and the quality of the work experience. Any implementation must begin with a clear understanding of the needs, capabilities, and realities of the people who will use, manage, and support the new technology - leaders, information workers, technology staff, partners, and customers.

Platform

Change is less painful and expensive when new technology looks, feels, and works in a familiar way and when existing investments in infrastructure, training, and skills can be reused. Success requires a common set of tools, controls, a standard look and feel, a stable, predictable infrastructure and a consistent development environment.

Plan

Change is less painful and expensive when technology is implemented with a methodology addressing company strategy and the work process and experience needs of the people who will be using and supporting it as groups and individuals.

Our plan is D-STAR. Getting results from technology requires building from the base and addressing each step toward results. Starting with your company strategies, we work with you define policies and work processes and assemble systems to support these. All of this is done based on the requirements, capabilities, and change management needs of the people who will be using and managing these systems, as well as the leaders who need the visibility to manage the performance of the solution and the organization. We use the Microsoft Information Worker Infrastructure – tools and technology that people are familiar with and comfortable using and supporting.

Companies that have partnered with DataLan and embraced the D-STAR methodology have seen significant increases in project success rates, return on investment and overall business improvement