Business in the Cloud
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demand access to CRM related data, harmonization alongside the supply chain, as
well as cost saving considerations. In order to successfully approach theses areas
of improvement, a different point of view towards these projects is required as the
next step.
Marchand & Peppard (2013, pp. 105-112) discovered several key differences
between traditional IT related projects and cloud oriented projects:
Table 1 - Differences Traditional IT Project & Cloud Project
Traditional IT Projects
Cloud Oriented Projects
Typical Projects
Install an ERP system
Develop a new, shared understanding of customers’
needs and behaviors
Automate a claims-handling process
Predict future growth markets
Optimize supply chain performance
Typical Overarching Goals
Improve efficiency
Change how employees think about and use data
Lower Costs
Challenge the assumptions and biases employees
bring to decision making
Increase productivity
Use new insights to serve customers better, build
new businesses, and predict outcomes
Project Structure
Define desired outcomes
Develop theories
Redesign work processes
Build hypotheses
Specify technology needs
Identify relevant data
Develop detailed plans to deploy IT, manage
organizational change, and train users
Conduct experiments
Refine hypotheses in response to findings
Implement plans
Repeat the process
Competencies Required
IT professionals with engineering, computer
science, and math backgrounds
In some cases, IT professionals with engineering,
computer science, and math backgrounds
People who know the business
People who know the business
Data scientists
Cognitive and behavioral scientists
What Does Success Look Like
?
What Does Success Look Like
Project comes in on time, to plan, and within budget Employees base decisions on data and evidence
