Background
Under-utilized IT investments represents a tremendous amount of untapped potential for companies that desire to improve employee productivity, reduce costs, improve customer service levels, or improve the return on investments (ROI) that they have received from their investments in technology.
Most companies have invested substantial amounts of money in the implementation of their computer systems and strategic software applications, such as their web site, their enterprise management software (ERP), their customer relationship management software (CRM), or their electronic data interchange software (EDI).
Based on our thirty years of IT experiences, we have discovered that many of these companies are either disappointed with the results that they have received from their information technology (IT) projects, or they experience significant difficulties evaluating options for making additional investments in strategic software applications.
In many situations these companies believe that they have not received an acceptable return on their investment from these strategic software projects, or, in some cases, their overall investment in their IT function. Additionally many companies have a difficult time deciding whether or not to make additional investments in these existing software applications.
In some instances, when dissatisfaction reaches a very high level, it is a common reaction to conclude that this failure was due to the vendor, or software products selected, and then proceed to invest another substantial amount of time, resources, and capital to hire new IT staff, upgrade the existing application software, or purchase new application software, only to realize the same unsatisfactory results.
Introduction
Our IT Audit Services are targeted for companies that want to dramatically improve the return on investment, and related software usage, that they have received from their investment in their overall IT function, or from their investment in strategic software applications. These Services are helpful in situations where our clients desire assistance to accomplish any of the following needs:
1) Audit the current usage of key software applications
2) Determine if the existing software applications should be replaced or upgraded
3) Significantly improve the usage of existing software applications
Evaluate the purchase of new software applications
4) Develop focused training plans for remedying declining application knowledge of key software users due to staff turnover
5) Develop an on-going IT Plan that plans for making future IT investments, and the decision making criteria for making future IT investments.
Overview
Our IT Audit Services are tailored to each opportunity and can include any of the following services.
- Defining scope of Audit Project.
- Review of overall Management Priorities and Expectations with the Executive Team.
- Audit of current software usage.
- Assessments of current staff.
- Assessments of current processes and procedures related to the scope of the Audit.
- Interviews of selected managers and key software users.
- GAP analysis of the current processes and the current management expectations.
- Written Management Summary that includes Observations, prioritized Recommendations, and an initial draft of an Action Plan for implementing the Recommendations
- Presentation of Observations, Recommendations, and Action Plan to the Executive Team.
- Assistance with the implementation the Action Plan approved by the Executive Team.