Don't Be Held To Ransom

I was talking to a businessman the other day who was bemoaning the fact that the company for whom he works was being held to ransom by a single individual, a freelance contractor, who was the only person capable of maintaining a vital software system for them. He could more or less charge them what he liked.

How had this come about?
How can you avoid this in your company?

In the past, in order to speed up software development and prolong the life of their older mainframe computer systems, this company had invested heavily in a particular proprietary “Rapid Application Development” (RAD) software system. This became an integral and essential part of many of their critical applications.

Unfortunately, this particular RAD system did not catch on in the wider marketplace. It is not widely used, and is now also rather dated. Consequently it has become increasingly difficult to find people with the necessary skills or the wish to acquire them. Those few individuals with the required skills can hold the company to ransom.

Don’t let this happen to your company.

Here are a few simple guidelines on how to avoid finding yourself in the same position.

1.Don’t be an “early adopter” of new software systems. Make sure a product has an established client base before climbing aboard the bandwagon.
2.When you buy a software package, use it as close to standard as you possibly can. Don’t demand masses of special modifications. You will be building up huge maintenance problems (and costs) for the future.
3.If you must have non-standard add-ons to standard packages, get the knowledge transferred in house. Don’t put yourself in hock to your suppliers.
4.If replacing old systems, make sure you do it fully. Don’t let an old system be kept and used for just one small function. The eventual (increasing) maintenance will far exceed the (reducing) usefulness.
5.Don’t loose sight of the life cycle costs of a system (purchase, installation, maintenance, replacement). Don’t stop at just the first two of these items.

You can, of course, usefully apply these checks to any major purchase or project for change, not just to software.

The key to it all is guideline number 5 above. If you properly consider the entire life of a project from start to finish you will inevitably take into account the other vital aspects.

Unfortunately in so many cases the longer term elements get swept aside and ignored. Serious consideration stops at the point of implementation. Too often the man in charge of the early stages of a project does not have to take responsibility for the later consequences. So make sure that isn’t the case in your company.

In conclusion:
Be wise before the event. Be aware of the consequences. Think of the long term. Don’t be held to ransom.