It could start with something simple, such as a relatively minor problem within a single department. For example, one company needed a way to solve a purchasing issue after several customers’ orders were lost. In the process of resolving the issue, the IT team realized the software being used by the department needed to be upgraded to keep up with changing customer demands. But doing so would disrupt other software it was connected to.
So, the other software would need to be updated as well. In the process of researching alternatives, the IT team realized there was a new software system that could solve the original problem and perform the functions of many other software systems within the company. After weighing all the relevant considerations, the team decided the new software was right for company-wide deployment.
What started as a simple issue blossomed into an entire company-wide software overhaul. The need for such a transition doesn’t always become apparent in this way. Team members within any department of a company could notice other conditions that point to this possibility. They include efficiency issues, production problems, integration problems, or lack of support for legacy systems.
Of course, the company could proactively decide to implement a digital acceleration initiative. All of these are starting points for a general software overhaul process.
1 What Is a Software Overhaul?
A software overhaul is replacing or updating the majority of software being used within a company. The reason could be that the software is no longer meeting the company’s needs or that the company is engaged in a digital acceleration initiative. A software overhaul may be needed if a company changes its operating procedures or simply wants to update its software to provide modern functionality to employees while improving the overall productivity.
2 Efficiency Issues
Many possible reasons exist for efficiency issues, such as outdated processes. Even in the modern computing age, some companies still have paper-based procedures that can slow down operations. This situation is especially obvious in companies that have some paper and some electronic processes. Electronic processes themselves can also be inefficient yet remain based on the notion that “it’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Yet another reason could be ineffective software. When software is simply slow, doesn’t have the features needed to perform necessary tasks, or doesn’t meet the needs of users, it can increase timeframes for all types of operations within a company. For instance, if employees have to take the time to create and use workarounds to make ineffective software perform better, progress can be considerably slowed.
3 Production Problems
For companies that produce physical products, production can become stalled for innumerable reasons. Equipment can break down. Supply chains can become interrupted, limiting the number of materials available to use in the manufacturing process. Production schedules can be too demanding. Natural disasters or illnesses can prevent numerous staff members from being out at one time.
Some of these challenges may have a software component. For example, broken equipment could be due to software that doesn’t adequately track the condition of equipment and plan needed upgrades that could prevent failures. Or project management software that doesn’t take into consideration certain variables that will add more time to the production process.
4 Integration Issues
When new software doesn’t integrate well with existing systems, it may need to be replaced before it’s even put to use. Of course, it’s always wise to ensure before purchasing a software product that it will integrate well with existing systems. But what if the existing system changes prior to the installation of the new software? Or what if a software manufacturer offers misleading or mistaken information about which systems its product is compatible with?
Integration issues aren’t just a problem because of the need to seek out a different solution. They can also cause problems with existing systems that could take considerable time and money to fix.
5 Lack of Support for Legacy Systems
Sometimes software simply becomes outdated. This is true when software manufacturers stop supporting older systems. When this happens, companies must make a choice: continue using software that presents a security risk, update the software, or discontinue using it altogether. The first option isn’t viable, given the monumental problems security breaches can cause.
In the case of the second option, the company simply pursues the standard update procedure from the software manufacturer.
When discontinuing the software, the company might want to replace it with a competing product, have a new product custom-built by a provider like BairesDev, or choose another way to accomplish the tasks it used to perform. For example, if CRM software becomes obsolete, a company may decide to stop using CRM software and instead transition to the use of a CRM module within ERP software.
6 Digital Acceleration
Having the right technology tools has become so important in the modern business world that many companies aren’t waiting for something to go wrong to initiate a software overhaul. Rather they’re proactively implementing a digital acceleration, which often involves quickly updating or replacing many if not all software systems within the enterprise. There are many benefits to initiating this type of change:
- Software adapts to workers, rather than the other way around. Increasingly, new employees, especially younger ones, expect a high level of digital competency within a company and seek out those companies that have it.
- Despite the considerable cost of implementing a digital acceleration, companies end up saving money because they can avoid inevitable upgrade costs, reduce IT staff, and even eliminate human positions for some functions that new technology can perform.
- Because many new software products are focused on remote team functioning, companies can have a bigger pool of potential employees because they don’t have to be physically close. Additionally, companies can open new locations and employees can continue doing their jobs from their same locations.
- Companies can take advantage of times when the business may be slower to implement these changes.
- Businesses that accomplish a digital acceleration are in a position to be more viable in a highly competitive market.
No matter how it starts, a software overhaul is a huge undertaking that companies must spend considerable time preparing for.
