How to Functionalize IT: The 3P Approach
Everyone wants great IT. Lots of companies spend, and spend big, to get it. But when you ask, few companies will say their IT is as good as it should be. Same goes for when you measure using quantitative methods: the return on investment rarely matches initial expectations. Lots of money is spent, but few companies feel they get full value for it. What gives?
At Newvic, we have studied this problem and have a unique method, the 3P Approach, to address it. IT systems are inherently composed of three components: Product, People, and Process, the 3P’s. Most IT systems fail to achieve their full potential because one or two of the 3P’s were not designed to function at the same level as the other. This creates a constraint, and limits the performance of the system as a whole.
For example, you can buy the latest shiniest Product, but if you don’t invest in training your People, they won’t be able to use it to the full potential and will be your constraint. Even if you train your People, if you don’t develop appropriate Processes to link the Product to the People, you still have a constraint and will not achieve the full potential of the system. And no matter how fast your servers are, if the network carrying their data can’t handle peak demand, then your Product will be a constraint.
Here is the breakdown of the 3Ps:
Product
Product is the thing you buy: servers, software, laptops, switches, email server licenses, internet access, monitors, cloud services, and on and on and on. Most people, including most executives, think IT begins and ends with Product. It’s where the most money is spent, it’s what all your vendors are pushing, it’s what you see advertised at all the big conferences. Product is the easiest to obtain, and the most tangible: you write a cheque, and a month later a big fat box shows up at your loading dock. It looks and feels like you’ve just bought an IT system, but you haven’t. Product alone is not an IT system.
People
People are the users for your IT system. This certainly includes your employees, likely your customers, and possibly also your suppliers, regulators, or other parties. There is an old joke in IT that every IT system would be perfect if it wasn’t for the users (old IT jokes are rarely funny, but often true). The People part of your IT system must include training, consider inherent skill sets, and recognize that end users must be equipped to properly use your system, or they will quickly become your constraint. There is also a psychological aspect which must be considered: your People will use your IT system in a way that most makes sense to them and achieves their personal work goals as quickly and easily as possible. This may not be the way you intended the system to be used.
Process
Process is the link between People and Product. It’s how your People interact with the IT system, and how your IT system interacts with your organization as a whole, including your other IT systems. Process is rarely something tangible. It is often only considered as an afterthought or tacked on at the end when it is clear a system is underperforming, then frozen in time until it becomes a creaky relic. Instead, it should be designed as part of a system, modified as the system is developed, and improved throughout the lifecycle of the system.
Newvic Technologies uses our 3P Approach to match each part of your IT systems to eliminate constraints, improve flow, optimize throughput, and increase productivity. Your People will be trained, your Product will be sized correctly, and your Processes will be optimized. We call this functionalizing IT. To you, it means IT that works, IT without the waste, IT where work flows without bottlenecks, and IT that truly delivers value. That’s the 3P Approach. Ask us how it can work for you.
How to Functionalize IT: The 3P Approach
Everyone wants great IT. Lots of companies spend, and spend big, to get it. But when you ask, few companies will say their IT is as good as it should be. Same goes for when you measure using quantitative methods: the return on investment rarely matches initial expectations. Lots of money is spent, but few companies feel they get full value for it. What gives?
At Newvic, we have studied this problem and have a unique method, the 3P Approach, to address it. IT systems are inherently composed of three components: Product, People, and Process, the 3P’s. Most IT systems fail to achieve their full potential because one or two of the 3P’s were not designed to function at the same level as the other. This creates a constraint, and limits the performance of the system as a whole.
For example, you can buy the latest shiniest Product, but if you don’t invest in training your People, they won’t be able to use it to the full potential and will be your constraint. Even if you train your People, if you don’t develop appropriate Processes to link the Product to the People, you still have a constraint and will not achieve the full potential of the system. And no matter how fast your servers are, if the network carrying their data can’t handle peak demand, then your Product will be a constraint.
Here is the breakdown of the 3Ps:
Product
Product is the thing you buy: servers, software, laptops, switches, email server licenses, internet access, monitors, cloud services, and on and on and on. Most people, including most executives, think IT begins and ends with Product. It’s where the most money is spent, it’s what all your vendors are pushing, it’s what you see advertised at all the big conferences. Product is the easiest to obtain, and the most tangible: you write a cheque, and a month later a big fat box shows up at your loading dock. It looks and feels like you’ve just bought an IT system, but you haven’t. Product alone is not an IT system.
People
People are the users for your IT system. This certainly includes your employees, likely your customers, and possibly also your suppliers, regulators, or other parties. There is an old joke in IT that every IT system would be perfect if it wasn’t for the users (old IT jokes are rarely funny, but often true). The People part of your IT system must include training, consider inherent skill sets, and recognize that end users must be equipped to properly use your system, or they will quickly become your constraint. There is also a psychological aspect which must be considered: your People will use your IT system in a way that most makes sense to them and achieves their personal work goals as quickly and easily as possible. This may not be the way you intended the system to be used.
Process
Process is the link between People and Product. It’s how your People interact with the IT system, and how your IT system interacts with your organization as a whole, including your other IT systems. Process is rarely something tangible. It is often only considered as an afterthought or tacked on at the end when it is clear a system is underperforming, then frozen in time until it becomes a creaky relic. Instead, it should be designed as part of a system, modified as the system is developed, and improved throughout the lifecycle of the system.
Newvic Technologies uses our 3P Approach to match each part of your IT systems to eliminate constraints, improve flow, optimize throughput, and increase productivity. Your People will be trained, your Product will be sized correctly, and your Processes will be optimized. We call this functionalizing IT. To you, it means IT that works, IT without the waste, IT where work flows without bottlenecks, and IT that truly delivers value. That’s the 3P Approach. Ask us how it can work for you.