Technology shouldn't start with a product
When a business has a technology problem, the first question is often, “What should we buy?”
I think there is a better question:
What are we trying to accomplish?
Maybe employees cannot communicate easily between locations. Maybe customers are waiting too long for help. Maybe an internet outage can shut down the business. Maybe information is spread across several systems that do not work well together.
Those problems might involve internet service, cloud computing, cybersecurity, phones, contact centers, CRM software, artificial intelligence, or several of them at the same time.
That is where Technology Orchestration comes in.
So, what is Technology Orchestration?
Technology Orchestration is the process of bringing the right technology, the right suppliers, and the right specialists together around a business outcome.
Think about building a house.
You probably would not want to personally coordinate the electrician, plumber, carpenter, roofer, HVAC contractor, architect, inspectors, and material suppliers without first having a plan.
Each person may be excellent at their specialty. But someone still needs to understand the whole project, decide how the pieces fit together, and keep everyone working toward the same result.
Technology can work the same way.
The original Straightforward model described this role as both a technology owner's representative and a general contractor. Straightforward maintained relationships with many technology suppliers, allowing the customer to have a single point of contact while specialists handled different parts of the solution.
The product isn't the starting point
Suppose a company says:
“We need a new phone system.”
A traditional sales conversation might immediately become a comparison between phone-system vendors.
Technology Orchestration asks more questions first.
Why does the company think it needs a new phone system? Are customers having trouble reaching people? Are employees working remotely? Does the contact center need information from the CRM? Are there multiple offices? Is the internet reliable enough to support cloud calling? What happens during an outage?
Suddenly, the problem is bigger than buying phones.
The right solution might involve communications software, internet connectivity, network design, CRM integration, contact-center technology, security, and business continuity.
I describe this idea as tailoring a company's digital ecosystem so connected systems, software, and devices work together instead of operating as isolated pieces.
Orchestration doesn't mean one company has to do everything
This is an important distinction.
Technology Orchestration does not mean pretending one person or one company is the best expert at every kind of technology.
Straightforward's original model was built around relationships with a large network of technology providers. The idea was to bring multiple qualified suppliers to the table and use their different expertise to solve the customer's problem.
One supplier might be excellent at cybersecurity.
Another might operate the best network for a particular location.
Another might provide the right contact-center platform.
Another might specialize in cloud infrastructure.
The value of orchestration is making those pieces work together around the customer's needs instead of forcing the customer's needs to fit one supplier's catalog.
How do you decide what “right” means?
That's where the Five-Star Method comes in.
The original Straightforward methodology evaluated technology around five broad outcomes: dependable connectivity, computing performance, flexibility and scalability, operational excellence, and financial impact through savings or new revenue opportunities.
We've simplified that idea for the new site into five questions:
- Resilience: Will it keep working when something goes wrong?
Performance: Will it do the job well?
Flexibility: Can it change as the organization changes?
Operational Excellence: Can people actually manage and support it effectively?
Business Value: Is the result worth the money, effort, and risk?
A solution doesn't need to be perfect in every category. The point is to understand the tradeoffs before making the decision.
Technology Orchestration in plain English
Technology Orchestration is really about this:
That is very different from starting with:
“Here is the product I sell. How can I convince you that you need it?”
And that difference is why I still use the term Technology Orchestration.
Technology keeps getting more complicated.
The process for making a good technology decision doesn't have to be.