Perfect fit.

• Author: Cooper, Scott

Even on a budget, companies can make IT improvements that meet their needs--and please employees

You're running a CPA firm, or a small to midsize business, and know you need to invest in information technology, but you're concerned that your investment will be either too costly or too small to make substantial improvements.

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Welcome to the dilemma faced by many business managers.

Improving technology is neither cheap nor easy. And, it usually takes much longer than desired. Still, all is not lost for companies looking to upgrade their IT on a budget. It all starts with assembling an IT plan, a blueprint of a company's IT initiatives, in priority order, that are to be implemented over a period of time.

IT plans include a needs assessment and data reporting considerations, as well as the requisite hardware, software and maintenance services. The plans also must consider available human and financial resources, as well as the expenditure of funds for specific hardware, software and other products and services.

Unfortunately, most businesses don't take the time to do a plan, which usually results in dysfunctional and underperforming IT.

A SUCCESSFUL IT PLAN

Along with the above considerations, several other things must occur for an IT plan to be successful.

First, management must demonstrate its interest in developing and executing IT initiatives. Second, the IT plan should be aligned with the company's business plan, acting as a deliverer of IT functions and processes to enable the business plan to succeed. Third, the tactical information processing and reporting needs of all principal departments in a business should be considered when developing the plan. Fourth, a realistic IT budget should be determined and followed. This, of course, requires some balancing of needs, desires and resource or funding constraints.

IT planning is a process that takes time and is an on-going commitment. Frequently, it appears that too much time may elapse between the time the IT plan process starts, and the time that the first IT initiative is executed and tested.

To that end, can management make an effective IT splash, without spending too much, too soon? Of course. Companies can implement certain components of their IT plans that may not necessarily be of the highest priority, but are valuable and not particularly expensive.

What follows are four possible IT plan components for most any business--none of which are, in themselves, particularly costly or...