Just received this in a mailing. Along the same lines as your post above.
I have added the top bit as the author says the articles can be forwarded to interested parties. There is a registration page for the news letter if others are interested.
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ON THE LINE: A Consultant’s Notebook -- February 2006
published monthly by Henry Dortmans, Angus Dortmans Associates
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ON THE LINE eCOLUMN
Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.” – Edward R. Murrow
On The Line # 102
IP TELEPHONY: YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE
By Henry Dortmans
Planning a phone system acquisition used to be straightforward. More specialized, but straightforward. Systems were typically bought on a site-by-site basis; the new PBX was similar to the old one; and a telecom manager organized the purchase of it with guidance from the CFO and…of course…the suppliers.
But today buying a phone system means choosing an IP-PBX, and in my experience, the old planning model has broken down completely.
Here are a few examples I've encountered recently:
Company A set out to buy an IP-PBX with all the reliability and functions of the system it was replacing. But the buyers paid no attention to the new opportunities offered by an IP-based system until the Request for Proposal (RFP) was already issued.
Company B’s dynamic IT department was driving an IP-PBX acquisition but had little voice telecom expertise. This led them to rely on supplier advice that was often not relevant to their environment.
Company C permitted one of the business units to buy a small PBX without realizing that this had implications for the future options of the organization as a whole.
There's a reason why these kinds of problems are cropping up these days, and that reason is Internet Protocol. Buying IP-based systems requires a planning process that is much more inclusive.
There are four reasons for this:
The specialists…telecom, IT, finance, operations, administration…must think and act as one to plan and manage the new system.
An IP-PBX puts in question traditional levels of functional quality (FQ) and technical quality (TQ). Corporate expectations must be rethought and reaffirmed.
IP works best as a single integrated system for the organization as a whole. Decisions can no longer be made on a site-by-site basis.
IP telephony offers new services that, over time, have the potential to transform many business processes -- provided that a good understanding of these processes can be integrated into the infrastructure planning process.
Interdependence
We cannot implement IP telephony by segregating the people who buy it and use it. Where system acquisition is concerned, many other departments come into the planning picture, including:
Finance : Developing the business case for an IP-PBX demands judgment calls. How should the data network upgrade costs be allocated? Does it make sense to put a dollar value on productivity enhancement?
Customer Service : Are high-touch customer relations a true priority? IP telephony has the potential to greatly improve customer service. Or, if done badly, to damage it. Operations : New systems may be able to change the way key business processes are carried out, but practical opportunities need to be identified and evaluated.
Human Resources : End-user input is vital…just what do they need? What do they want?
Facilities : Tactical decision-makers need an accurate picture of facilities development plans.
User Input
Planning has to be inclusive vertically as well as horizontally. It must take into account points of view at the top and bottom of the corporate ladder.
System selection can gain a lot from staff involvement. New telecom technology may well be able to remove a good deal of user frustration, and winning end-user support for the new technology is crucial to success.
Some organizations have gone beyond the conventional questionnaires and focus group interviews. The City of Coquitlam BC , for example, took a team of 20 users to visit each of the supplier finalists to view presentations. Rick Adams, who led Coquitlam's successful acquisition project, comments, “We really saw this as a business solution, not a technology solution.”
As well, some aspects of the new system may affect management processes. IP telephony can enable support staff to carry out operations and administrative functions from a distance, but this may run counter to entrenched head office-branch office processes. For example, IP telephony makes telecommuting and working on the road more feasible, but is this a priority?
And executive-suite attitudes are sure to shape the decision. Are senior managers fixated on cost-cutting as the overriding goal, or are they open to suggestions for productivity or service improvement? How will cost-cutting priorities affect the quality-versus-expense tradeoffs that abound in IP telephony? Is the maintenance of “toll-quality” voice and “five-nines” reliability (99.999%) worth the price?
Taking Command
Distributors and integrators offer to organize the planning of the acquisition, and they can often make a contribution. But many will focus on what is common to most installations, not on the peculiarities of the user environment that in fact pose the greatest challenge.
An organization considering an IP telephony system acquisition has to take command of the planning process, start early, and involve leaders from a wide range of departments and specialties.
And the best planning process will be inclusive -- drawing on the insights of many so that the new system can bring new value to the organization as a whole.
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