Before you can effectively do anything in the IT (IT means information technology, a common term used for the computers, servers, networking, etc. of an organization) arena you need to understand where people are at. In my experience with corporations, organizations and government, you need to understand the end user to correctly and effectively provide an IT service. And I mean the actual end user.
Too many times I’ve implemented projects from the top down, meaning we received requirements from the CEO or CIO (chief information officer) and then design a system to fit what they want. When this new system is rolled out, there is barking and complaining from angry end users. They will use the system but only because they have to. There is no buy-in or ownership. What I prefer to do, and recommend to all of my customers, is for me to understand what the higher-ups want as an end result and then I spend a little time with the end users figuring out what they need it to do.
For example, a VP at a company wants a system that can manage their service vendors across the country. She explains what their process is, how information is handled and in what order. I could walk away from that meeting and build them an application that will do what she said it should do. Instead, what I try to do (ultimately it’s up to the customer) is to meet with the VP, understand the overarching vision and purpose for the application, which is to effectively manage and deploy service vendors and retail stores across the country. I then meet with some key customer service representatives (not all 50 of them, maybe a selection of 5), the managers, the accounts payable department, and possibly connect with a vendor or two. I meet with these people to understand how the daily business is run, from an end user point of view. I get to know what they do day-to-day, suggest improvements (things the application can do for them) and understand some of the wish list items, the things they really want it to do if money wasn’t an object. After review and approval from the VP, I can then go on to build a perfect application. I can say it’s perfect because:
1. First and foremost, the VP (the person paying for it) is happy because it fulfills her vision and purpose. Also, her employees are not complaining about a system that doesn’t work properly.
2. The functionality, business process, workflows, etc. mirror actual day-to-day activities with small enhancements so therefore there is little to no need to relearn a process. The application improves the quality of life for the employees which makes for happier employees.
3. The end users have buy-in! They take ownership in their new application because they’ve had a say in it. It’s hard to complain about a system that you helped design.
I think the above example should be applied to church and its technology. The leadership of a church may want a new system to manage members, giving records, website, communications, event/activity registrations, etc. Following the above example, you’ll want to find out the overall purpose and vision for the new system and then meet with the primary users of the system. In most cases, the users will be staff, ministry heads and volunteers (and since you’re not paying a volunteer you want to make them as happy as possible!) Allowing these people to contribute to the initial brain storming and design of a system can go a long way when it’s time to implement the system. If a brain storming session is too involved, simply getting their opinion on an idea goes a long way.
Now to my church. Like I’ve said before, our church’s technology is lacking and needs improvement. I could’ve taken the vision of the leadership and did what they said and blamo, they would have a new system. Instead, I’m taking the time to connect with the users of the potential system to find out what they want and don’t want. Since there are existing systems in place, I want to know what they like and don’t like. Last thing we want to do is reinvent the wheel.
If I could sum up our church’s technology vision, I could say it is to effectively use technology to better manage and communicate with the community, members and volunteers. A very broad stroke. We have a lot of existing elements in place already: website, Facebook groups, online registration, member management, computers, servers, printers, etc. Throughout the years these have been pieced together as things were needed. We are now aiming to manage the entire ball of wax so we can use all of our tools coherently and effectively.
Following my example, I wanted to connect with the end users to understand how their day-to-day, or week to week, operates. I’ve put together a questionnaire (download below) which asks the staff and ministry heads about technology.
First I question them about their experience with technology. It’s important to understand where the user is coming from to understand what they want. If we have an 80-year-old man who doesn’t own a computer and things twitter is an insult, then when he shares that a system is not doing what he wants it to do, I put a lower weight on his responses. His input on areas is still valuable as a user, but his input on effectivness is not so much. It’s not an insult, it’s just a lack of experience on his behalf. If an 80-year-old woman who is managing the offices and staff, who has some computer experiences, and shares that a system is not dong what she wants it to do, I put a little more weight on her responses. She has a little more experience and has an idea of what things should or can do. It’s important to understand the point of view of the person.
Secondly I ask them their opinion about the usefulness of certain types of technology in general, at our church. Regardless of what we have now and what is running and not running, I want to know what they would find useful and find pointless. My goal is to get their heads pumping for the third part.
Finally I ask them about their specific experiences and interactions with the technology at church. I can’t possibly name every facet of every system, but it’s my hope that they will share what is working well, what isn’t working well and what we should stop using. And of course there is the “if money wasn’t an object, what would you want the technologies to do for you?” question. This is usually a fun one, but can shed light on what people really want out of their systems.
Technology Questionnaire
Download Technology Questionnaire (docx)
Download Technology Questionnaire (pdf)
If you download and use this questionnaire or have any comments please do share by commenting below.
This questionnaire was sent out by one of our executive pastors a few weeks ago and I’ve only received 3 responses out of about a dozen. Summer time can be busy and we’ll be pushing to get all of the responses back. The end result is to understand what ministries and staff want and need to effectively manage and communicate with the community, members and volunteers. I will share our findings of what people want and don’t want.
