Why Change Your Present System?

30 widely used reasons for changing systems are listed below

Most organisations changing their software systems will find many reasons to justify their actions. Some, however, will only have a few reasons, which are so critical, that their system needs replacing simply because of these.

Generally, the more reasons that apply, the more likely you need to change your system. How many apply to you and your organisation?

Software system functionality reasons

1.   Web enablement

2.   Additional functionality available within the new software

3.   Workflow and automation

4.   Present systems comprise separate stand alone systems with limited integration between each other

5.   Integration with other systems

Management information reasons

6.   Improving the quality and quantity of management information

7.   Improving accuracy of information

8.   Improving access to and speed of access to management information

9.   Improving the flexibility of and speed to produce management information

 System operations reasons

10.  Improving system processes

11.  Reducing manual effort and duplication of data handling

12.  Improving system flexibility to handle continual business change

13.  Improving system performance, speed and time to process data

14.  Improving data input / collection capability eg automated feeds, bulk data entry

15.  Improving transfer of information between systems

16.  Improving system reliability

17.  Present system is ageing, has not been upgraded and is now becoming difficult to maintain

18.  Easier system development in the future

19.  Supporting an increased number of system users

20.  Improving data storage

Vendor reasons

21.  Providing unsatisfactory / poor support

22.  Withdrawing support

23.  No longer supplying a specific range of products

24.  No longer developing products that you use

Organisational reasons

25.  Changing provision of services eg outsourcing, creating shared service centres

26.  Changes of hardware

27.  Rationalisation of systems and vendors

28.  Reorganisation eg due to take over, merger, decentralisation, restructure or disposal of business units

29.  Reducing costs (total cost of ownership)

30.  Other actions leading to a sudden and permanent large change in numbers of suppliers, customers, employees and consequent reduction of systems requirements