One of the most common reasons service organizations seek a Professional services Automation (PSA) solution can be attributed to a gap in automating their processes and/or the lack of visibility into the disconnected systems they have that currently help run their business.
Practice Directors struggle in gauging the profitability of their customer projects. Project Managers battle managing budgetary constraints. Executives lack visibility on organizational performance and bottom line results. Project contributors have no efficient or effective way to update project progress.
Consequently, professional services organizations (PSOs) go to market to seek the “silver bullet” solution to their problems. Although the intentions of most PSOs are sound, it is not uncommon for the selected PSA solution to fail in their expected objectives.
One of the primary failures in implementing a new PSA system can be attributed to the usability of a system. Often, organizations make objective decisions around the features and functions delivered by a PSA solution. A careful side-by-side comparison is made among the shortlisted vendors in which score cards and ratings are taken into consideration ensuring the solution of choice meets their functional needs.
Unfortunately, the decisions around usability are typically subjective in nature and left to the few decision makers responsible for the purchase. Although it is true that involving every individual touching the enterprise PSA solution in the decision-making process is unreasonable and can lead an organization down a path of “paralysis analysis,” the subjective decision by a few concerning usability can be very dangerous.
UX Matters: A Poorly Designed PSA Solution Will Impact Your Bottom Line – part 2 »
About the Author: Neil Stolovitsky has over 16 years of IT experience with end-user, consulting, and vendor organizations, along with extensive expertise in business development, software selection, and channel strategies. He has published numerous white papers and articles covering Professional Services Automation, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for service industries, Project Portfolio Management, IT Governance, and New Product Development to a global audience. Neil currently holds the position of Senior Solution Consultant with Upland Software.