If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. Bold statement? No, not really. How do you know if you getting closer to anything? You must have a clear objective method of determining where you are versus where you began. If you are traveling from Toronto to Montreal then you track your progress based on the number of miles you traveled.
If you listen to success gurus they will tell you that your goals must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound). As a small business owner, are your business goals SMART? Do you have an objective method that gives you a clear indication (number or metric) as to where you started and where you are today? If you don't then your goals aren't SMART.
The information economy that we are now a part of is all about knowledge of facts and figures and how you use them to get ahead. Technology plays a critical role in the acquisition, management, and dissemination of information. Companies effectively using technology in their business have a huge edge over the competition, because they always know where they are going. In fact the benefits of all business decisions, including technology decisions, can be easily translated into a number (performance metric) that clearly indicate its benefit to the company's bottom line.
Ineffective use of technology results in frustration and poor decision making. Since most small business owners are not technology experts, at least not in every area, they need third party assistance that can align their business strategies with their technology strategies. Don't just trust this to your hardware guy, or software guy, or web developer. Technology alignment requires both a management consultant and technology consultant. Rarely do these people come in one package, and they sound pricey, but don't let the titles concern you, you need them more today than at any other time in history, because you can't win a race if you don't know where you are.
For more details check out www.technologyalignment.com.
Don Rubie
