Learning Module Migrate to New Technology

A Dodota TVET COLLEGE

INFORMATION SHEET
Hard ware and network
Servicing
Level IV
Learning Guide #44
Unit of Competence: Migrate to New
Technology
Module Title: Migrating to New
Technology

LG Code: ICT HNS4 M04 1016

TTLM Code: ICT HNS4 TTLM04 1016

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Learning Module Migrate to New Technology

MODULE DESCRIPTION:
This module defines the competence required to apply skills and knowledge in using new or upgraded
technology, with the knowledge, skills and right attitudes.

This Module covers the following Learning outcomes:

LO1: Apply Existing Knowledge and Techniques to Technology Transfer
LO2: Apply Functions of Technology to Assist in Solving Organizational Problems
LO3: Evaluate New or Upgraded Technology Performance

LO1: Apply Existing Knowledge and Techniques to Technology

Transfer
The need to identify new technology
When a new technology emerges, IT professionals wait anxiously to see how the technology could be used to enhance
the current business functions. There should be a good business case supporting any decision to integrate new
technology into a business. When a technology is used to support a task that is not well suited for the functions and
skill levels of the employees, it is likely to be a waste of time and fail.
In the majority of cases, the lack of skills related to using and supporting new technology hinders the migration into
the new technology, causing missed opportunities. Therefore, it is important for you as an IT professional to upgrade
your skills in response to any new technologies that are emerging in the industry. Most new technologies require IT
professionals and other employees to upgrade or acquire new skills. This is critical to your survival as an IT
professional in today’s competitive environment.
It takes experience and persistence to find the right technologies to meet the business requirements of an organisation.
Your existing knowledge in the area of investigation will help you to find the right solution to meet the business needs
of the organisation.
Lessons learnt from other similar implementations, experiences of other IT professionals, and best practice amongst
other similar national/international organisations will give you invaluable knowledge and skills when identifying new
technologies for the benefit of the organisation.
We cannot predict the future with certainty. However, it is necessary to look back, observe and learn from history
when implementing new technologies.
Consider the development of personal computers in the past twenty years. A trend can be identified in the physical
features (size, look, colour), speed, cost, power, storage capacity, communication capability, etc, as the computers
evolved over the years. Our past experience suggests that in the next few years we can expect to see more powerful,
faster, smaller, high storage capacity and communication-ready computers.
In the last few years, attention has also shifted into mobile technologies, multimedia communication (using voice,
video and audio) systems and wireless access methods.

Sources for identifying new technology

As an IT professional, you need be aware of the trends of new technology emerging in the industry. The following are
some sources amongst many others that will keep you up-to-date with these changes.

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Learning Module Migrate to New Technology
Trade magazines
Trade and business magazines such as Technology and Business constantly introduce IT professionals to new
technologies.
The Internet
The Internet, giving access to World Wide Web, forums, newsgroups and mailing lists, is also a valuable source of
information about new technologies.
Networking
Socialising with other IT professionals and joining professional associations is also a good source of identifying new
technologies available. Suppliers and consultants will also keep you updated with trends and information about new
technology.
Formal training
Attending formal training courses will certainly expose you to new technologies available by giving you an
opportunity to identify new technologies — not only through the content of the course but also by getting an
opportunity to network with other IT professionals.

Identifying the impact of new technology

New technologies are emerging in the market every day. It is important that IT professionals are aware of how to
identify new technologies that are appropriate for their organisation. If you decide to adopt these technologies in your
organisation you will need to acquire new skills in response to the new technology before successfully implementing
it. IT professionals need to follow a systematic procedure to identify the implications of the new technology for all the
stakeholders.
Implementing new technology means change. It is expected that the new technology will make life much easier for
users by providing better mechanisms for performing and managing regular organisational tasks. However, if we are
to be successful in migrating to new technology then we must anticipate how the new technology will impact all
stakeholders. You should also be mindful of the magnitude of the impact the technology will have on the enterprise.
Finally you must bear in mind that user (stakeholder) acceptance is the key to successful implementation.

Assessing the impact of new technology on the business

Gather information about the technology

 Talk to vendors and other IT professionals to learn as much as possible about the new technology and other
related technologies.
 Use IT magazines and other journals to learn about the technology including legal and political impacts.

 See how this technology compares with the existing technology to get an idea of the magnitude of the impact
on the organisational functions.
Gather information about the business strategies
Your choice of new technology should comply with the company’s overall business strategy. The strategies of the
business may promote or hinder the application of new technology.
Identify the stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people who have a share or an interest in the business and will be affected by the new technology.
The acceptance of the new technology into the organisation will be increased when you take the needs of all
stakeholders into account before choosing the new technology.

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Learning Module Migrate to New Technology
Assess the impact on stakeholders
Assess not only the financial, educational and economic impact of new technology but also the social, legal and
political impact that new technology will have on the stakeholders.

Skills for acquiring and implementing new technology

IT professionals must refresh their skills and use their existing knowledge when acquiring and implementing new
technologies. The following are the types of skills essential in acquiring and implementing new technologies.

Technical skills
Once a new technology is identified, it is fundamental that you gain the technical skills necessary before migrating to
it. These technical skills may relate to hardware, software, network, PC support or programming knowledge.
Building technical skills is an ongoing and never-ending process for an IT professional. While you rely on your
existing technical knowledge to identify new technologies, you would need to acquire new skills before you can
successfully implement a new technology into the organisation.

Interpersonal and psychological skills

When implementing new technology, an IT professional must further develop interpersonal and psychological skills,
so they can deliver the new technology in a user-friendly manner.
Interpersonal skills will be useful when you need to convey new information to the people that would be affected by
the technology. Psychological skills will give you the ability to create harmony in difficult situations and promote
better acceptance of new technology.
As an IT professional implementing new technologies, you need to be skilled in customer relations, oral and written
communications, dependability, teamwork and leadership.

Managerial skills
It is important that the IT professional be conversant in managerial and design skills so that new technology is chosen
and implemented in line with business objectives.

Identify appropriate business use of new technology

Appropriate business use of new technology
We have grown to accept technological change. Unless businesses exploit the advantages of the new technology, they
will find that they can’t compete with businesses that do. Consider the changes to our lives that have been brought
about by such things as telephone banking, the Internet, e-business, email and so on, and the competitive advantages
such changes have given the organisations that implement them. Organisations need to be constantly aware of current
or emerging technology trends and directions in information technology (IT). IT will continue to evolve and produce
more and more new technology. Many IT managers are very keen to embrace new technology, anticipating better IT
services for the organisation. However, unless new technology is used appropriately, it may not bring the desired
outcome for the organisation.
If you buy a garment from a department store chances are that you can return it if it is the wrong size or does not meet
your requirements. Unfortunately, this will not work the same way with your IT infrastructure. Let’s look at the case
where you bought five high-speed backup servers in order to provide redundancy and distribute the load on servers. If
all your five servers are currently working at 15% capacity, the equipment that you have purchased is not appropriate
for your business. The idle resources are a waste of money. Rushing to purchase new technology without prior
assessment of its appropriateness or relevance to organisational goals wastes your organisation’s valuable resources
and money. Your objective is to not only apply new technology to solve the organisation’s problems, but to employ it
in the most cost efficient and appropriate manner.

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Aligning business and IT strategies
In today’s competitive business environment, an IT manager should understand the link between business objective,
business strategy and IT strategy. If your company is to get the maximum benefit from the new technology, then the
new technology must be properly aligned with the company’s business strategy. Unless you align your IT services
strategically with the business, you will not have a case for management to invest money in any new technologies.
All IT managers should understand that IT exists to support the business objectives of the organisation and not the
other way around. IT must support the business goals in every service it provides. The IT department must develop a
vision and strategy to ensure that this is the prime focus of its existence. Management must take all measures to
ensure that information technology is part of business strategy planning with a view to aligning IT with the business
strategies of the organisation.
To ensure that IT is totally aligned with business objectives, IT managers need to:
 Provide business-focussed leadership rather than technology-focussed leadership. The IT leadership must be
connected to business management.

 Think about the impact of tasks on business as a whole rather than provide solutions for individual tasks.

 Concentrate more on end-user experience with new technologies rather than the technology itself.

 Focus on the business goals and let the technology follow.

 Play a strategic role in the future of the organisation.

The relationship between business objective, business strategy and IT strategy

Business objective
A business objective is what the business wants to happen in broad terms. It is best if there is some way of measuring
it. Some examples are:
 Reduce operating costs by 2.5% per year.

 Get BAS ready on time every 3 months.

 Improve customer satisfaction levels by 10%.

 Process orders within 3 working days.

Business strategy
A business strategy is how the business objective will be met. Some examples are:
 Automate a labour-intensive function.

 Implement an accounting package with BAS capabilities.

 Provide printed quotes over the counter.

 Implement an order tracking system.

Information technology strategy
IT strategy is about how IT will be used to support the business strategy. More than one strategy may be identified.
Some examples are:

 Switch to barcode-scanner checkouts.

 Modify existing accounting package and retrain users. Or, purchase a BAS-ready accounting package.

 Build quotation report software. Provide networked PCs and printers to front counter staff and train them.

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Learning Module Migrate to New Technology
 Purchase an order tracking module of the existing inventory software and train staff. Or, purchase a stand-alone
order tracking package and train staff. Or, build custom order tracking software and train staff.

Types of business technologies

Production technologies
Production technologies include:

 Technologies that boost, aid or enhance production/manufacture of goods. Tools, machines and utensils used
for production would fall in to this category. The primary purpose of investing in these types of technologies in
business is to reduce costs, increase flexibility and/or improve the quality of the product, such as machines that
assemble car components with greater precision.
 Technologies for the ‘production’ of technical services such as a wide area network (WAN) and computer
software development.
Automation
Automation technologies include:

 technologies that automate services such as payroll

 technologies that automate the tasks that are labour intensive or dangerous, eg human-like machines (robots) to
perform very specific production tasks and point of sale terminals at a warehouse.
Technologies that improve services
Technologies that improve the quality of services will lead to increased profit by drawing clients back for more
service, eg more accurate diagnostics in the medical field made possible by new technologies and automated patient
monitoring in hospitals.
Technologies in design
Design technologies include:
 technologies that are used to design or develop a new product or service such as Computer Aided Drafting
(CAD) and Computer Aided Systems Design (CASD)

 technologies that promote innovation by introducing new, more efficient, cost effective and improved quality
services or products to the consumer.

New technology and your business

New technology is used to enhance service, promote innovation, and improve communication and quality while
reducing the costs, and increase productivity and profits. The appropriate business use of new technology should result
in benefits such as:

 reduced costs

 improved quality of existing services

 existing resources being utilised to optimum capacity resulting in better products and better ways of
conducting business
 increased flexibility.
A new technology that does not lead to real benefits to the organisation cannot be justified.

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Understanding your business
To be utilised effectively, technology must fit with the users’ goals. It is no good developing a database that manages
stock when the requirement is for a system that manages contacts of potential customers. To ensure that you get off on
the right track it is important to have an understanding of the organisation’s business domain.
What is your client’s core business? What does the organisation set out to do and what are the main activities it
undertakes to achieve this?
Sometimes it is apparent what the organisation’s core business is, but it is not always straightforward. How can you
find out what an organisation’s core business is?
Documents produced by the organisation such as mission statements, strategic plans and organisational charts are
usually a good source of information for determining the organisation’s core business. A mission statement states the
main purpose of the organisation and usually incorporates its financial, social and/or environmental goals. A strategic
plan defines how the organisation plans to achieve its goals, and includes the activities it will undertake to achieve
them.
Organisation charts can provide a graphical representation of the business in terms of how it is organised to fulfil its
core business.

Business planning and IT solutions

To understand how the business planning process relates to the development of IT business solutions, we must first
define the organisational needs and establish the business requirements.

Defining organisational needs

One definition of organisational need is a lack or problem that requires actions so that organisational goals or
objectives can be achieved. Organisational needs are usually identified by the staff and/or the managers directly
affected by them. Often users express their needs in terms of the hardware, software or services that they think are
needed.
As a support person or an IT manager, you must determine the organisational needs, and then use your expertise to
match solutions to those needs. Often those needs could be met with new technology, but you need to know how to
determine which type or feature of new technology will best suit the need.

The product selection process

The product selection process establishes a set of criteria that must be matched by new acquisitions. The product
selection criteria are drawn from business requirements of an organisation. An organisation’s business requirements
will state high-level outcomes of any new technology. Often, new business requirements arise when organisations
experience problems. This could range from the slow printing of invoices to poor response times of an online
accounting system distributed across nation-wide branch offices. Problems are expressed in different ways by
organisations, and, as we mentioned previously, they can be found in documents such as:

 corporate mission or vision statements

 long-term goals stated in strategic plans

 product specifications from project plans and designs.

From these high level outcomes stated in the business requirements, a set of criteria can be established for selecting
any new technology that the organisation will acquire. For example, the high level outcomes of the business
requirements could implicate all or any of the following criteria for selecting the new technology.
Compatibility
New technology will need to work with existing hardware, system and application software with minimum changes to
both.
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Interoperability
The new technology must be able to interoperate with the existing network.
Maintainability
The current IT staff should be able to maintain the system even after the introduction of the new technology.

Centralisation/accessibility

The new technology must be accessible by multiple users at various sites.

Security
The new technology must be accessed by authorised users only.
Ease of use
Existing users must be able to operate new technology with minimum re-training.
Scalability
The system introduced using the new technology should be able to cope with growth of the business, expansion of
networks, and a growing number of employees, etc.

Matching solutions with strategic directions

IT staff are expected to have expertise in a range of IT products. Each support section has standard products that it
supports, but because of the diverse range of offerings from vendors, there are usually more products than is possible
to fully understand and support. IT staff usually have the skills to locate and interpret information about new
technologies. However, standard products cover most expected needs. This means that it should be relatively easy to
match existing technology to organisational needs.
Most large organisations have procedures in place to conduct feasibility studies. By following these procedures, the
technical, economic, legal, operational and schedule feasibilities of applying new technology to an organisational need
can be assessed.
Strategic direction is something that is set by upper management. It refers to the strategy the business will undertake to
steer it through its planned future course. In order to formulate a strategic direction, upper management needs to take
into consideration the current circumstances of the organisation. It is very important that you get the right technology
to match the company’s strategic and technological directions.
To get maximum benefit from the new technology enhancements, you must also carefully analyse the market needs as
well.

Identifying appropriate new technologies

Suppose you came across a new technology that most IT managers are excited about. How would you evaluate
whether you need to implement this technology in your organisation? Remember that technology should be identified
based on an organisational need and comply with the technical, commercial and economic criteria of the organisation.
Here are some approaches you can use when selecting a new technology for the benefit of the organisation.
 Get together with a team of IT professionals in your organisation and put your heads together to identify a
suitable new technology that will help achieve your business goals.

 Horizon scanning — talk to your circle of friends or other IT professionals. Browse through published reports.
Read IT magazines and the World Wide Web to identify new technologies that are proven to be a success.
 Collective scanning — attend meetings of IT professionals such as the Systems Administrator’s Guild to
discuss their findings.

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Evaluating and selecting new technology
Usually there is a gap between what new technology promises and what it actually delivers. This gap will be narrowed
if you align the new technology with current business needs and IT strategy of the organisation. Reducing this gap will
result in maximising benefits of the new technology.
How do you evaluate whether the new technology is successfully aligned with the business requirements?
There are several tangible (eg cost savings) and intangible (eg user satisfaction) benefits of implementing new
technologies. These benefits will give you an indication of how well the new technology is aligned with the business
objectives. Therefore, before new technologies are introduced, an organisation’s management must agree on the
performance indicators that will help them calculate and measure benefits after implementation.

Assessing the appropriateness of a technology

This involves assessing the technical as well as economic features of the new technology in the organisational context.
It is important to obtain reliable information about the new technology from various sources, such as the Internet,
consultants, colleagues and other IT professionals, IT supplements of newspapers, magazines and trade papers,
demonstration versions of software and vendor catalogues containing drawings, designs and product specifications.
You can also ask for more information from vendors, visit show rooms and attend product demonstrations, exhibitions
and conferences.
You can use assessment tools such as an evaluation matrix to compare two or more competing products. An example
is given in Table 1 below.

Table 1: An evaluation matrix

Business need and/or performance criteria Product X Product Y
Economic factors
Capital required, fixed costs, variable costs, impact on profits, etc.
Product/service efficiency
Does the new technology provide the service or production more efficiently
than the existing system?
Interoperability, backward compatibility
Is the new technology able to interoperate with the existing network/system?

Maintainability by existing personnel/training needs/ease of use

Effect on quality of service or product quality

Effect on flexibility of service or flexibility of production

Effect on labour/client relations

How does the new technology affect workers and worker-management
relationships? Does it improve the client relationship with the organisation?

Time required for implementation

Scalability
Can the new technology cope with growth of the organisation?

Use a rating scale such as: 1 = poor, 2 = below average, 3 = average, 4 = good, 5 = excellent, to compare
alternative technologies.

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Productivity and efficiency issues
Identifying and examining processes
Most organisational problems involve poor productivity and inefficiency. To improve efficiency, you would need to
look at processes linked to the problems and examine the volume, rate and quality of the output of such processes.
Once the processes have been identified, you’ll need to identify measurable outcomes for the processes. That way you
can evaluate the output before and after introducing the new technology.

Testing proposed solutions

When processes that are linked to an organisational problem have been identified, you will need to construct tests to
measure outcomes. The simplest form of testing is to note the presence or absence of an outcome. However, tests for
enhanced productivity and efficiency require examining pre- and post-implementation effects of new technology.
Statistics collected before the application of new technology can be compared with those collected after.
Problems arising from customer dissatisfaction can be hard to measure directly, unless you conduct a survey.
However, there could be a cause to reduced levels of customer satisfaction, such as late delivery of goods or slow
processing of claims. In the case of goods delivery, you could measure the time taken to receive an order and dispatch
it, before and after implementation of the new technology.
Some IT technologies, when implemented, become an integral part of the business. Then the profit brought in by the
new technology will justify the implementation.

LO2: Apply Functions of Technology to Assist in Solving

Organizational Problems
Planning implementation
The introduction of new technology requires careful planning in order for a smooth transition to occur. Implementing
the technology without planning is bound to result in problems and frustrations. The objective here is to minimise any
disruption to the day-to-day running of the organisation.
Sound project management skills are required in implementing new technology. In producing an implementation plan,
the following should be considered:
 timing

 tasks involved

 resources required

 schedule

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 milestones

 Organisational issues.

Timing
Timing is an important consideration if the implementation is to go smoothly. The adoption of new technology can
place an additional burden on staff having to deal with disruption to their normal workflow. Most departments have
peak periods of activity that should be avoided. For example, an accounting department’s busiest time is the end of the
financial year; therefore this period is definitely not suitable for any implementation of new technology.

Tasks
What are the things that have to get done to implement the new technology? The implementation plan should clearly
identify these tasks and schedule them in an appropriate sequence. Installing a network, for example, will have a
different set of tasks from installing a new software system.

Table 1 shows the tasks required to install new PCs for a group of users.
Table 1: Tasks for installing new PCs
Task Description
1 Back up files on existing computers
2 Remove existing computers
3 Install new computers
4 Test new computers
5 Restore files to new computers

Identifying the tasks and their sequence beforehand should ensure that the implementation goes smoothly. This is a
very simple example, but can you imagine what would happen if Task 2 was performed without performing Task 1?

Resources
Having identified the tasks, the next step is to allocate people and resources to them. To minimize confusion, people
need to know exactly what they are supposed to do. Obtaining resources may involve negotiating with the people
involved or their superiors as they may have other commitments. Table 2 provides an example of resources required
for installing new PCs.
Table 2: Resources required while performing implementation tasks
Task Description Human Resource (tools)
resource
1 Back up files on existing Jessica Gilflan Portable HDD and backup software
computers
2 Remove existing computers John Clark Trolley, packaging tools and inventory forms
3 Install new computers John Clark Trolley and inventory forms
4 Test new computers Mary Lan Testing software and checklist
5 Restore files to new computers Jessica Gilflan Portable HDD and backup software

Schedule
After assigning resources to each task, the next step is to determine how long each task will take to complete. Work
out the start and finish date of each task. Then communicate this to those involved so that they know exactly when
particular tasks are to be done. Table 3 below shows the start and finish dates for each task so that staff know when
the tasks are to be completed. This means that your plan should provide a picture of:

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 what is to be done

 who is to do it

 when it is to be completed.
Table 3: Task duration
Task Description Resource Start Date Finish Date
1 Back up files on existing computers Jessica Gilflan 1st Sept 1st Sept
2 Remove existing computers John Clark 2nd Sept 3rd Sept
3 Install new computers John Clark 4th Sept 9th Sept
4 Test new computers Mary Lan 10th Sept 14th Sept
5 Restore files to new computers Jessica Gilflan 15th Sept 15th Sept
Milestones
Milestones are established points in the project used to determine whether or not the project will meet the anticipated
schedule. These are usually major events in the course of the project such as ‘installing new computers’ or ‘software
purchased’.
It is important to establish milestones in your implementation plan and monitor the progress of the implementation on
an ongoing basis. You can also gather project progress reports from implementation team members.

Organisational issues
Any impact on the day-to-day running of the business needs to be identified and planned for. For example the
installation may require that the network not be operational for a period of time. Therefore it should be scheduled for a
time when it will have as minimal an impact as possible, for example, after hours. Sometimes it is difficult to identify
downtime when no one would be affected. In all cases, users who will be affected need to have sufficient warning in
terms of days not hours.

Managing the implementation

Technology and its use need to be managed if it is to be used effectively. Management of technology includes tasks
such as:
 overcoming resistance to technology

 ensuring that users are competent in using the technology

 monitoring the efficient use of the technology

 monitoring the performance of the technology.

User acceptance
User acceptance of new technology is usually based on:
 user-friendliness of the new system

 management making it known that staff are expected to use the new technology

 identified benefits of the new technology for the users of the system

 training provided to ensure that users are comfortable with the new technology and commitment by
management to support staff during the initial stages of use

 timely hardware/software application support

 clear and communicated commitment by management to support the introduction of the new system.

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Resistance to technology
Change is often seen as threatening, particularly if it is accompanied by ignorance. People sometimes resist new
technology, especially if they are comfortable with the existing system. Resistance can occur at any time however.
Consider an employee who has been transferred to another section where they are not familiar with the technology.
Resistance needs to be addressed, as its negativity can spread to other users and this can adversely impact on the
productivity of the system.
Resistance to technology can often be countered by providing information. Describing the technology, the advantages,
the objectives and other issues to the users can dispel resistance.

User competence
Training and user support are very important. Without this, you may as well not install the new technology because
the benefit it was intended to bring will not be realised. Not only does training need to occur when the technology is
first installed but it has to be provided on an ongoing basis according to need. Part of the continuing management
function is to analyse the skills users require and ensure that they have them.
Not only do users need to be competent in their use of technology but they need to be well supported in its use as well.
The help desk is an important support tool. Its effectiveness relies upon it being continually monitored.

Efficient use of technology

Is the new technology being used efficiently? Have the users adopted the new technology or are they reverting to the
old system? Managing implementation of new technology involves monitoring its use and rectifying any problems
through appropriate means such as providing additional training where needed.
Inefficient use of new technology can arise in many situations. Sometimes, users may use it just like the old system, in
other words, not take advantage of its new features. They might also use it for certain tasks, but not all of them. The
worst-case scenario would be that of users resorting to developing their own solution rather than use the new system.
This might indicate a more serious problem — perhaps the solution selected was not the right one!

Performance of new technology

In implementation, it is very important to monitor the performance of the new technology to ensure that it is fully
functional. All attributes of the new technology need to be continually monitored. Any problems should be rectified so
that the new system can function as expected. Some questions you can ask when monitoring performance are:
 Does the software ever fail, eg lock up or close unexpectedly?

 Does the hardware ever breakdown, eg hard drive crash or system prone to overheating?

 Does the network fail, eg device not found or print jobs not being received?

Reflect
Think of a time when you felt apprehensive about using some new technology. What could have been done to make
you less apprehensive about using it?

Feedback
You probably would have appreciated a training session that showed you how to use the technology by applying it to a
familiar problem.

Converting data
A key ingredient of the success of the implementation of new technology is the seamless accessing of data. At some
point the new technology will replace the existing technology (unless there was nothing prior). This usually involves a
conversion process of some kind. The conversion process should ensure that:
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 the data is complete and valid

 the structural integrity of both the legacy system and the new database/data warehouse is sound

 the data reflects and works with the business rules and data standards

 the data will work well with the conversion process.

There are four well-recognised methods of system conversion:
1 direct conversion
2 parallel conversion
3 phase-in conversion
4 pilot conversion.

Types of conversion
1. Direct conversion
This is the implementation of the new system and the immediate discontinuance of the old system. Once the
conversion is made there is no way of going back to the old system. It is inexpensive, but involves a high risk of
failure because the entire system is converted at once and going back to the old system will create a lot of hassle and
problems.
This approach is appropriate when:

 the system is not replacing any other system

 the old system is judged to be without value

 the new system is either very small or simple, or both

 the design of the new system is drastically different from that of the old system and comparisons between
systems would be meaningless.
2. Parallel conversion
This is an approach where both the old and the new system operate simultaneously for some period of time until a
thorough evaluation is completed. It is the opposite of direct conversion. A high degree of protection from system
failure is provided, but parallel conversion is costly. Usually though, if this conversion type fits in with the
organisation’s IT plan then the extra expense is warranted.
3. Phase-in conversion
This approach allows for a segmented system to be gradually implemented over time until the old system is fully
replaced. Unlike direct or parallel conversion, phase-in conversion uses a step-by-step process of converting one
segment at a time. This method avoids the risk inherent with direct conversion while allowing users to get used to the
new system gradually. The cost of temporary interfaces with the old system, along with not giving IT professionals the
satisfaction of implementing the system in its entirety, can be negative factors in this type of conversion.
4. Pilot conversion
This method segments the organisation, providing a ‘guinea pig’ branch or office where the new system proves itself
before conversion is performed elsewhere. Pilot conversion is less risky than direct conversion and less costly than
parallel conversion, and is preferred where the new system is drastically different from the old. A disadvantage is that
more time is required for full and complete conversion, but this time can be put to good use by training all users at the
pilot test site.

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Managing the conversion
As the IT professional charged with the task of migrating to new technology it is your responsibility that, throughout
the implementation, the integrity of the system and its data remain intact. The likelihood of this will depend largely
upon the conversion method chosen. With the exception of direct conversion, all of the conversion methods provide
the opportunity to compare the outputs from the new system with the outputs of the existing system.
All the above methods outline the standard methods of converting from an existing system to a new one. However, not
all implementations of new technology relate to complete systems. The conversion may be as straightforward as
upgrading from one version of application software to the next, for example, upgrading from Microsoft Excel 97 to
Microsoft Excel XP. No matter what the type of conversion, one thing remains a constant throughout, and that is the
underlying data.
It is vital that the conversion of data is planned for. The success of migrating to new technology depends to a great
degree on how well the IT professional prepares for the creation and conversion of data files required for the new
technology. File conversion usually means that the existing file will be modified in at least one of three places:
 in the format of the file (eg reading a tape on a 2003 platform having being written as a UNIX TAR file)

 changing the data structure (eg restructuring the fields in a database, converting EBCDIC to ASCII format)

 in the storage medium where the file is located.

In some instances it is possible that some files will experience all three aspects of conversion.

Methods of file conversion

There are two formally recognised methods of file conversion:
1 total file conversion
2 gradual file conversion.
Total file conversion is the process of preparing files, which are compatible with the new system from the old
system’s files. All files are converted, either by a file conversion utility program or by manual data entry. Total file
conversion can be used in conjunction with any of the four conversion methods.
Gradual file conversion is a method by which data is converted only when there is some activity on it. For example,
a customer record is only converted when there is some transaction activity. Most of the active records would be
converted within a relatively short period of time. Gradual file conversion is especially useful for parallel and phase-in
conversion methods.

Maximising benefits of implementation

It is not unusual for the features of new technology to be under-utilised or even ignored. In most cases, when an
upgraded version of a familiar piece of software comes along, users tend to keep using it just as before. Generally,
most users only use about 20 percent of features in a given software package. The new technology probably contains
features that are not used but could be useful. It is common sense that you should aim to get maximum benefits from
the new technology.
Here are some strategies that can help users derive maximum benefits from new technology:

 Training and support — showing people how to use technology is often a more effective method than the
trial and error approach.
 Direct knowledge can be shared through teamwork, socialisation and informal communication.

 Contribute to a knowledge base that will formally document procedures, processes and experiences to capture
the experiences of various people.

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 Consultants or experts could be hired for a short period of time to examine how the technology is used. Then
they can provide suggestions on how to get more out of the system. This may be by using features that you were not
aware of, or by using the technology for other work that you had not considered.

Access to information on new equipment

As pointed out earlier, resistance to new technology often comes from ignorance or lack of information. It is,
therefore, very important to ensure information about new equipment is readily available to users. Computer journals
and magazines can be circulated internally and the same should apply to product information from leading-edge
producers and suppliers. Small group sharing sessions would also help, as you will often find that the most useful
sources of information about new equipment are other people, work colleagues and friends.

Awareness of benefits
Users are more likely to accept new technology if they are aware of the benefits expected from implementation. In the
long run, this would translate into improved organisational practice. Therefore, it would help to highlight the benefits
specific to particular user groups throughout the implementation process. The types of benefits can cover the
following aspects:
 new features, performance and breakthroughs

 integrity of products and processes

 increased productivity

 operational benefits

 maintenance benefits

 reduced waste

 administrative benefits

 advanced communications

 customer responsiveness and business enhancement

 innovation, continuous improvement

 employee job satisfaction.

Introduction of new technology may sometimes have adverse effects as well, so the strategy is to ensure that the
benefits outweigh the costs of introducing the new technology. Some of the well-known adverse conditions are:
difficulty in managing the new technology implementations, steep learning curve for gaining new skills, high initial
costs, disruptions to day-to-day routines of the business and excessive time requirements.

OH&S implications
The implementation of new technology may sometimes change the occupational health and safety (OH&S) conditions
in the workplace. Any new technology that is purchased must be assessed against the compliance requirements of
occupational health and safety standards. The rigour of assessment will depend on the complexity and the novelty of
the technology.
The scope of the assessment process could range from observations to safety training, depending on the nature of the
technology. For example, staff must be educated in ergonomic issues if computer equipment is going to be introduced
and change the set up of their workstations. If new machinery is introduced, workers must be conversant with the
health and safety guidelines before operating it. These guidelines usually come from the manufacturer.

Organizational best practice

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In old organisational systems, workers saw hoarding knowledge and information as providing personal power and job
security. However, in today’s competitive business environment, managers must establish strategies to manage the
existing knowledge and information within the company and capture these for the benefit of the organisation.This is
called ‘knowledge management’. A common example of this is that knowledge about new technology is captured
within the organisation and then structured — so that it is easily accessible to all members of staff. The following are
some benefits of knowledge management:

 Innovation is encouraged with the open sharing of ideas and information.

 Learning time is reduced as it is easier to learn from past successes and mistakes rather than ‘re-inventing the
wheel’.
 Staff satisfaction will increase as they are getting the recognition for their knowledge and innovations.
It is best practice in an organisation to use various tactics such as employee recognition and reward schemes
toencourage all employees to contribute to a knowledge base. A knowledge base typically refers to a database that
holds knowledge in a variety of forms such as facts and rules, and case examples about successful business practices.

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LO3: Evaluate New or Upgraded Technology Performance

The need for evaluation
Evaluation needs to be conducted after the migration into the new technology to assess the project’s success or failure.
In this process, you must use the project success indicators to compare against the actual benefits and returns. During
evaluation, data is collected, recorded and analysed to identify the benefits of the new technology.
Evaluation is conducted after implementation of new technology to:
1 Identify any issues relating to the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the hardware and software
systems installed.
2 Identify changes that are necessary to address any pressing issues.
3 Ensure that the organisational process used for migrating to new technology are acceptable to stakeholders
and identify any changes that are necessary.
4 Verify whether the system the system has delivered what was expected so as to benefit future projects.
5 Monitor long-term use of the system.

The process of evaluation

There are three steps in the evaluation process:
1 Collect, record and analyse feedback to track progress against the targets. Explain success and failures with
respect to the performance indicators. Identify unintended positive or negative effects.
2 Decide on necessary adjustments to the system to increase its usability and performance.
3 Establish any lessons that could be learnt from this project so future information technology projects would be
much more efficient.

Planning evaluation
The evaluation plan should be flexible enough to accommodate new questions and information sources. Here are some
strategies in planning evaluation:
 Obtain a list of all stakeholders of the new technology.

 Identify stakeholders that must be consulted to evaluate the performance and usability of the system. Ensure
that the sample chosen includes users, power users, support personnel, managers as well as customers (if applicable).

 Identify any other data sources to collect information such as documents, reports, performance logs, etc.

 Identify key performance indicators with regard to performance and usability of the software applications and
hardware.
 Determine the resources that are needed to carry out the evaluation.
 Identify the methodologies that will be used to conduct the evaluation. The possible methodologies are:
observations, questionnaires, walkthroughs, interviews, focus groups, etc.
 Analyse the information collected and compare it against the targets of performance and usability.

 Recommend potential enhancements to the system and identify any shortcomings of the implementation for
the benefit of future projects.
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Key indicators of usability and performance
The overall objective of conducting usability and performance evaluation is to recommend changes that will
contribute to increase user acceptance, increase productivity, decrease training and learning times, and increase
business performance.
Key indicators of usability
Usability of the system measures hardware and software user interface with respect to attributes such as ease of
learning, ease of use and satisfaction in meeting user needs. A usable system ensures that the user can access the
required feature instantly through its well-planned user interface. It also ensures that all control features are
consistently presented so would need minimum training to identify various processes within the system.
 Ease of use — users find it easy to apply to their intended tasks.

 User satisfaction with the functional capabilities.

 Sufficient and easily accessible user support. Users are satisfied with the support procedures such as help
screen with context sensitive help, knowledge bases, help desk, etc.

 Satisfactory initial experience. Users have successful initial experience with the software and/or hardware.

 Integration with existing processes. The new system integrates well with existing processes.

 Overall system capability. Users are satisfied with the overall capability and usefulness of the system.
Key indicators of performance
Performance of the system measures the reliability of the hardware and software. It includes:

 availability of the system

 error rate

 mean time taken to complete tasks.

Environmental considerations for new equipment and software

It is important to use a formal process to ensure that potential environment problems are foreseen and addressed at
early stages of the implementation of new hardware or software. However, a careful environmental impact assessment
prior to implementation does not exempt you from re-visiting this topic during the evaluation stage.
Assessment of the environmental impact of using the technology must be done against:

 Resources

 Labour

 Infrastructure

 Supporting technologies required.

Factors that could bring favourable environmental outcomes are:
 reduction in wastage

 replacement of old equipment that is not environmentally friendly

 reduction in paper usage

 reduction in energy consumption.

Factors that could pose a challenge are:

 environmental issues relating to disposal of obsolete computer supplies, hardware and other equipment
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 environmental issues relating to communication devices, wireless communication devices in particular

 the apparent need of many organisations to purchase large numbers of new computers. (It is estimated
that 1.8 tons of raw materials are required to produce the average desktop personal computer and
monitor. Imagine the negative impact of the production on the environment!)
Another major consideration when purchasing new equipment is whether it is designed with environmental attributes.
The environmental responsibility does not stop there. The users of technology must do so responsibly by using
software and hardware that can reduce wastage as well as minimise printed material and energy consumption, etc.

Using feedback
The value of feedback
Feedback is extremely valuable in the evaluation of hardware and software as it provides an effective balance for your
own observations and walkthroughs on the system. This is an ongoing process of keeping IT professionals informed of
the performance and usability of the system and should not be treated as merely an event.
While positive feedback reinforces the implementation of the system, negative feedback provides very valuable
information about how to improve the usability and the performance of the system. The performance improvements
made due to the feedback will ultimately benefit the organisation.

Gathering feedback
The goal of collecting feedback from users and gathering information from other sources is to enable the technology
committee to assess how well the software and hardware implementation is satisfying the key usability and
performance indicators.
Sources of information
You can gather data from people, documents, performance data, observation of events or any other empirical method
such as experiments and benchmarking.
Basic feedback gathering methods
The ideal form of feedback gathering is to use a combination of the following methods depending on time and
organisational factors.
Observations, walkthroughs and site visits
These are conducted to get first hand information on performance and usability features of the system. The internal or
external evaluators will observe all stakeholders using the technology and observe usability and performance
indicators of the system.
Walkthroughs are conducted where an evaluator walks through a certain feature to assess how the system performs
that feature with respect to usability and performance indicators.
Interviews
Here are some tips for conducting interviews:

 Choose stakeholders who would have greater or unique involvement with the new system.

 Communicate the purpose of the interview to the interviewee.

 Ask brief questions relevant to performance and usability of the system.

 Don’t interrupt.

 Be a good listener.

 Take notes.

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Focus groups
These are group interview situations where discussions can take place about the usability and the performance of the
hardware and software. Here are some tips for conducting focus groups:

 Reward the attendees by providing refreshments as this could be a good motivator.

 Start and finish on time.

 Be prepared to hear positive and negative comments.

 Be prepared with prompting questions to start the discussions about usability and performance of the system.

 Let the participants communicate and listen carefully.

 Avoid being defensive.

 Listen to all comments.

 Engage a note-taker.
Surveys and questionnaires
These are used to gather quantifiable data about the system from a large number of people. You should make
allowances for the low response rate and the slow response time. Here are some tips for conducting surveys:

 State the objective of the survey as evaluating the performance and usability of the new technology.

 Keep the survey to a manageable length.

 Use both open-ended and closed questions.

Analysing and processing feedback

All data regardless of how and from where it was collected must be summarised against the performance and usability
indicators so they are more manageable. In almost all case, both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected and
used.

 The performance measurements such as error rates will be quantitative and will be easy to interpret.

 Performance measurements such as reliability could be a combination of qualitative and quantitative data.

 Usability indicators could be qualitative or quantitative.

Scoring of usability and performance

It is common practice to use a scoring system to identify how the system is performing with regards to usability and
performance. An example of a scoring system is given below.
Table 1: Directions for scoring key indicators

Indicators Poor Satisfactory Good Excellent

Support
Help desk Support mechanisms Support Support mechanisms Excellent support
services are non-existent or not mechanisms exist. exist. Fees for help desk mechanisms.
adequate.
But fees associated calls are reasonable but Reasonable fees and
with help desk calls response times are slow. acceptable response
are high and Cheat sheets and how-to times. Relevant cheat
response times are guides are available for sheets and how-to
slow. some features. guides are accessible
through the web-based
support system.
Technical needs assessment
Needs Needs assessment was Some groups of Needs for all An elaborate and
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assessment not conducted. stakeholders were stakeholders identified comprehensive needs
conducted for surveyed to identify however not all needs assessment was
implementation
computer hardware are accounted for in the conducted and it all
requirements. final implementation. stakeholders were well
informed about the
improvements that
would be introduced.
Indicators Poor Satisfactory Good Excellent
Training
Training prior to Training was not Training was More customise training A comprehensive
and during provided. provided in large for small groups. training plan was
implementation
groups. derived and all users
were trained in groups
for common skills and
on a one-to-one basis for
user specific tasks.
Customisation
User All features are set and Desktop attributes Power users can Power users can
customisation customisation is not an such as fonts and customise certain customise most features
option
colours could be features. Ordinary uses where as ordinary users
customised to suit cannot change any can change a limited
the user’s needs features number of features.
Integration
Compatibility The new software is not New software is New software is New software is totally
compatible with any old partially compatible backward compatible backward compatible
packages that
performed similar tasks. with old with the old software but with the old software.
technologies does need some
however the intervention with data
administrator has conversions.
stopped making any
reference to data in
the previous
system.
Indicators Poor Satisfactory Good Excellent
Performance
Value for The technology has not The new The technology has The technology is
Money produced any cost technology has not minimized costs proving to be producing
advantages that was
anticipated. In fact, the enforced any a profit.
new technology costs additional expenses
more money to the (running costs)
organisation. compared to the
old technologies
used previously.
Speed Output of new New Technology is New Technology is lot New Technology is
(Throughput) technology is slower comparable with more efficient than all producing more than
compared to the
previous technologies. old other previous technologies. three times faster than
technologies. the previous system.
Quality The quality of output is The quality of Produces good quality The quality of output is
not acceptable. Error output is output. Less than 2% rated as very high. Less
rate is more than 5%.
comparable to older defects. than 0.5% defects.
technologies and is
acceptable. Less
than 5% defects.
Produce a final report
Once you score each evaluation indicator using the directions given in Table 1, you can conclude the finding in a final
report and present your recommendations to the technology committee or any other body responsible for technology
implementation.
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