Why do companies often struggle with Information Systems Implementation?

Hi all, welcome back to my blog! This week I am going to talk about information systems and how valuable they are to companies but not always successful....👇

In modern times organisations are investing more and more resources in order to stay up to date with an ever changing business landscape. A huge part of this is incorporating the latest and most advanced technologies into their business. However, the implementation of information systems can pose difficulties to a business if not done correctly. Sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances that cause these issues such as an unwillingness for employees to adapt to the new system. In my time including my work placement I have worked in 3 different office environments and I have seen staff even senior staff reluctant to adapt to even a slight change in how things are done so I am well aware of the struggles a company may face when implementing new systems. Some of the most prominent issues may be:

Inadequate Training:

If employees, including management, are not trained in a timely manner there will be difficulties using the new system which may lead to conflict in the workplace e.g. unrealistic expectations from management leading to employee frustration.

Data Migration: 

All data must transfer from the old system to the new system and data integrity must be maintained throughout the process. If not done properly their may be a loss of important data or a data leak which can have legal repercussions.

Lack of support from the vendor:

If the provider of the new software doesn't offer their expertise and training the company will be unable to use the technology efficiently ultimately leading to the failure of the new information system.

A failure to implement new information systems can not only be a waste of time and money but can also lead to customer dissatisfaction and a bad reputation for the firm. A well known example of this is Sainsbury's a huge supermarket chain in the U.K who failed to implement warehouse automation due to management issues in the company.

As a part of my workshop with my group we researched a few companies who had failed at implementing an information system. Hersheys failed in their quest due to flawed training processes and erroneous data migration.

Thanks very much for reading, I hope to see you all again next week.😁

Take care!