Measure twice, cut once

The carpentry proverb “measure twice, cut once” provides an important perspective to organisations considering investing in new technology.

The prospect of implementing a new solution offers seemingly limitless opportunities. It’s therefore essential to take time at the start to ensure you’re set on the right path to maximise the investment.

Cutting corners in these early stages, can lead to organisations paying for it twice (or likely more) later down the line.

It doesn’t have to be this way. EA advises clients on a 6-stage approach. The method ensures appropriate consideration is applied when evaluating options.

1. Strategy & Vision – build consensus on what the opportunity or problem is, this sets the tone for the rest of the change
2. Requirements – through design thinking, underpin the strategy with principles and user stories to bring to life the change to set the frame to search for a supplier
3. Market Analysis – trawl the external environment to identify the options. This exploratory stage is the opportunity to challenge the tried and tested against radical options
4. Request for Proposal – with a short-list of suppliers, run the selection process using objective data driven criteria
5. Planning – with a selected supplier, firm up solution scope and phasing. Undertake detailed planning to increase confidence in the change
6. Business case – the culmination of steps 1-5, build out the cost benefit analysis and lobby stakeholders to challenge and buy-in to the investment

The challenge organisations face is taking sufficient time to protect the future delivery. Taking short cuts does not immediately come to light in glossy PowerPoint decks. They appear as major issues later in delivery.

Exemplar organisations invest time up front in the early stages to control and manage outcomes when the stakes are lower. This pays dividends and paves the way for success later down the line.