When I first started in the IT industry, helping most of my customers to move off paper-based systems and to get started on their very first computer system based on the then up-and-coming PC technologies, virtually all of the work I did was done face-to-face. This aspect of the fledgling industry was, of course, driven by available technologies.
The advent of high-speed broadband communications allowed for remote IT consulting. Suddenly, clients buying and implementing almost any IT system—even complex ERP systems—saw a way to save big money. All these companies had to do was to make arrangements with the software vendors and VARs (value-added resellers) to have as much of the work as possible done “remotely.”
In doing so, they calculated that they could save lots of money that they would otherwise pay out in travel time and travel expenses. Additionally, the executives and managers of these client firms felt, perhaps, that less time would be “lost” in meetings and other work they deemed to be non-value-add for the implementation.
Having had, now, a decade or so of experience with the positives and negatives of doing IT projects employing remote technologies for some or all of the work involved, I’ve come to the conclusion that the “savings” are increasingly an illusion. It seems to be another case of what is calculable and measurable become “concrete” in the minds of the managers and executives involved while what cannot readily be measured or calculated—even though the number may actually be considerably larger—is ignored.
The apparent triumph of digital connectivity over travel has not changed the fact nothing beats real face-to-face interaction. Face-to-face meetings, conversations and discussions provide depth and dimensions that cannot be matched by emails, texts, tele-conferences, Skype, WebEx or any other digital format.
In my opinion, this lack of depth leads to several undesirable effects (UDEs):
I have had dozens of conversations with my clients over the years, and I have never had a client disagree with my assessment when I tell them, “We don’t bring any ‘magic’ with us to your offices when we come. We don’t have any special formula we put into people’s coffee or a whip we crack. Nevertheless, the whole firm tends to be more attentive to the work necessary to make the project a success when we are present on-site. Work gets done faster because the ‘attention factor’ is different when non-company personnel are present in the offices.
“The fact is,” I go on to explain, “when we are not on-site, it seems that ‘business-as-usual’ is the general rule. People, quite naturally, are more attentive to their routine activities and assuring that the day-to-day activities are completed while the special activities that may be associated with the project at hand may languish from inattention.”
Recently, a project with which I am involved appeared to be quite urgent to the firm and the people involved. In fact, in meetings we held more than a year ago now, they were quite disappointed that it might take four to six months to complete the project. They were anxious to get the improvements underway and fully implemented.
However, they were also very cost-conscious. So, they have done all they could to keep us at arms-length and have attempted to keep things on-track through tele-conferences and internal management efforts. Now, almost 18 months later, they still are not live on their much-needed new system and they readily admit that their needs have changed. [Note: The longer projects take, the greater the likelihood that the original goals and decisions in the project will no longer be aligned with the firm’s present needs. Nevertheless, changing things cast in concrete many months earlier can also be costly.]
Continuing with the example I mentioned in the preceding section, here is a firm that was struggling under the burden of a heavily-customized ERP system. In addition, many of the customizations in place were poorly architected and, as a result, as the data-set was growing in size, performance was also degrading. I believe their assessment was correct: they really needed to get off this system and onto a cleaner, more effective code base as soon as possible to sustain their growth and support changes in their business strategies going forward.
At those meetings more than a year ago, I believe that they could really envision dramatic ROI (return on investment) flowing from the upgrade and changes they were about to undertake. Now, all of those benefits have been delayed—delayed very nearly twelve months (if they are able to proceed post-haste now). How much of the business slow-down they are presently experiencing is attributable to delays in an implementation of technologies that could have freed up executives, managers and other resources to be focused on innovation and growth—rather than daily fire-fighting—is hard to say. What can be said with certainty is this: whatever benefits this firm hoped—and, yet, hopes—to gain from the implementation of updated technologies have been delayed at least a full year due to choices about how to—or how not to use the resources and guidance of on-site domain expertise.
Clients and consultants, both pay a huge price for not doing more work face-to-face. Here are some of the ways I see us paying that immeasurable price:
I am convinced that the success of every project is created by a fortuitous blend of knowledge, intuition (“tribal knowledge”) and good fortune, and that these are best brought forth by making a strong and enduring emotional connection between the participants. I find this increasingly difficult to do over the course of two days of meetings followed by twelve or 18 months of emails and phone calls.
And, I don’t think our clients who think they are saving money are really saving anything in the long run. I think clients and consulting firms need to take another long look at what this is costing us in very real terms.
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