Seven Effective uses of Technology in Business

This is Part 2 in a series about the role of technology in business improvement. In Part 1 we explored Five Ways to Incorrectly Use Technology.

Organizations can experience significant benefits applying technology in scenarios where:

• technology can be a catalyst for innovating around a process.
• the majority of the perceived process waste has been removed.
• the ability to improve the process without technology has reached its threshold.
• technology is better suited for poka-yoke, such as eliminating math errors or guiding complicated work flows.
• the risks of injury or danger to employees can be reduced or eliminated. Examples are un-manned military drones replacing pilots in hostile areas or using robots in automotive paint spray booths.
• the mechanical burden of maintaining the process using manual methods becomes a hindrance to productivity.
• information or collaboration needs to be shared across geographic boundaries.

photo credit: jurvetson / CC BY 2.0