Operational Efficiency and Efficacy: Business Vs User

The courtship of the businesses and technology is so long that it came to a tipping point where
they became inevitable and indispensable for each other. The evolution of global economies
through free market economic system has led to the complex supply chain systems which
demanded for an efficient management on part of the businesses that led to the technological
revolutionary spree leading to the new avenues of technology in Cloud Computing, AI (Artificial
Intelligence) ML (Machine Learning). All of these pushed the modern businesses and
technological organizations into a complex landscape, where business and technology has
become almost inalienable. Modern businesses engage and indulge themselves with various
technologies and technological products not just to face off the myriad challenges in this
complex landscape but to improve their business process efficiency which allows them to
efficiently deliver the customer value and the mantra of “ always be close to your customers and
get closer to your prospective customers ” has led the businesses to leverage the technology to
keep them closer to their various customers.
 While the modern technologies and technological products offer more than reasonable limit of
flexibility along with the standard features and functionalities that they offer to promote business
operational efficiency which businesses look for but there is always a stress for an operational
efficiency from the business users. More often than not it is these non-technical users that
actually in involve in engaging the technology for the economies of business operational
efficiency. And this has always caused a drift between the technical solution designers and
developers and the actual users who use the technology - while the latter demanding more
Operational efficiency to engage themselves with technology. This has created a burgeoning
pressure on the former to grope for alternatives to create the operational efficiency for their users
and a far reaching demand on technologies and technical products to reach these expectations. It
came to a point where it is difficult to draw a line between leveraging technology for business
efficiency & efficacy and leveraging technology for user efficiencies to handle/use it. This has
closed the gaps and it has become difficult at times to the organizational technology heads to
draw a line between the business operational efficiency and User operational efficiency.

 As such the business operational efficiency and user operational efficiency are often at logger
heads. However the developments in IoT and other technologies in the technological matrix has
helped businesses achieve more user operational efficiency. But the question still often largely
looms over the business executives, technical solution architects and technological products -
how much of user operational efficiency should be allowed? The answer to this question is often
not simple and straight forward.

 Following are some considerations that can help make decisions for both the business
executives, product development managers and solution architects of technology.

 a.   Taking a stock of the situation:

The starting point of any new technological adventure should start with taking a stock of the
current situation. A critical analysis of the current state of affairs is imperative. The as is state of
technology and the overheads accumulated with over a period of time with customization aimed
to create a business or user operational efficiency, are the two elements that are in there for any
critical analysis. Following are some of the questions which you need to answer yourself
honestly before you move further on your decision analysis tree -

i. What is the level of custom overheads on the current technology?

ii.  How much of the current overheads are on business operational efficiency and how
much are there on the User operational efficiency?

iii. Are we able to estimate the intricacy of existing overheads accurately?

 b.   What is the value addition of more user operational

efficiency?
It is often difficult to differentiate between the business operational efficiency and user
operational efficiency. Because sometimes a simple user operational efficiency can expedite the
delivery of customer value and at times it might just end up being a dead weight over your
technological architecture. Many a times clerical errors/ease of use are shown as a legit reason
for a customization and this nevertheless at times end up being more of allowing user leniency
than operational efficiency. This has to be cautiously adjudicated by a proper analysis of value
addition of the new customization in place Vs Costs associated with customization.

C. How much of customization can be leveraged?

 One important aspect when moving along the decision tree of achieving an operational
efficiency weather user or business, is to consider the level and amount of customization that is
needed. If what your users are asking is offered by your technology and can be done with little
effort, then it is always a good idea to equip them with what is being asked for. But if your
decision tree directs you to the path of customization then it is rational to go for a due diligence
before proceeding.  

d. What are the complexities of customization?

 If your decision tree points towards the direction of customization, then it is always imperative
to estimate the level of customization needed; how much of it will stray from its current level of
customization. The higher the complexity of customization, the higher is the risk of this
becoming a monster in future unless otherwise it is tamed. 

e. Will the customization create future road blocks?

What seems to be a simple customization that helps resolve a simple problem for business and
users, making them happy and complacent, might one day might turn out to be a nightmare. As
simple, random customization and enhancements pile up over a period of time, till one day it
becomes a monstrous nightmare difficult to handle. And every time a new requirement turns-in,
developers/architects will end up groping ways to fit it into the current system. So rather than
pursuing a best way to do it, most of the times they are forced to pursue a way that works with
the current system.

 f. What is the pressure on organizational finances?

Finally one of the most important aspect of any technological incorporation into a business will
see itself encroaching into the organizational finances. At any point of time organizations should
always

Conclusion:
Each business is unique and their requirements are unique in their own way. A solution that
works in a situation for a business might not work for the same situation for another business.
Hence a prudent approach by combining your business specific considerations along with the
above generic considerations should be used in the form a decision tree, towards the analysis and
usage of customization to allow operational efficiency and efficacy for users and business is
imperative. Above considerations refer to the qualitative aspects while leveraging the technology
for business or user operational efficiency. The next article will make an attempt to
quantitatively measure the impact and benefits of leveraging technology for operational
efficiency weather business or users.
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