Every business needs to keep innovating. But when you develop new products, services or business models: Problems will occur.
But when you do nothing: Problems also occur. But larger, since time to make mistakes is not unlimited. If you do nothing regarding business IT innovation you will face major IT challenges. Lifecycle management challenges are still a major IT issue, because sooner or later operating systems simple will not support your application software any more. Your software vendors will create breaking changes for you. And new mobile devices must be supported and customers expectation will shift.
Automation should make things easier and cheaper. And sooner or later also customers like to see the benefits of your digital transformation. In the Netherlands there is a strange paradox: Most services like banking, insurance or governmental services are fully digital, but are getting more expensive.
If you invest too little in business IT innovation your customers will leave since your competitors (current or new) will innovate. The digital transformation of services is just beginning. Internet is a key enabler and internet and related software technology for digital services is still growing in capabilities.
Companies that continuously innovate show a consistent ability to disrupt their own businesses model. Business IT innovation comes with a lot of challenges.
The core question to solve when developing an innovative product is:
What do users have to do to use your product?
Finding a good answer to this question is not easy, since:
- Users have already found a way to work (around) the problem with other tools and habits. Nobody likes complex software, but in many business domains very complex GUI systems and applications are the standard. So why change now?
- It is hard for people to do or use something totally different. Most humans do not like changes. And we dislike changes that are imposed by others.
- Time, money and resources already invested in currently used products should be taken into account when introducing new products. Are you offering a migration path or is it really worthwhile for your users to leave behind what they use now.
Business IT complexity is hard to solve, since most of the time IT just works. Major disadvantages of IT complexity are not experienced by the majority of IT users.