ABSTRACT
The underlying assumption throughout the early chapters of this book and the projects and case reviews is that the IT implemented has been, subject to some rigorous form of planning and development. The planning and development being based on some suitable model which ensures that the fullest attention to detail has been given a suitable model to consider when implementing IT is the PICA cycle. We have taken the basic PICA cycle and expanded it to encompass a range of the detailed issues that require to be addressed when approaching the implementation of IT (Figure 10.1). Where the work to be undertaken is considered in great detail i.e. people consciously consider a range of alternatives, they ‘Plan’. This allows a range of positive alternatives to be considered and reduced to one plan which is chosen as the one to ‘Implement’. When the plan is operationalised it is incumbent upon those charged with its success to ensure that they monitor what happens in action and take some form of corrective action as and when required to ensure that the planned outcomes are attained i.e. they exercise ‘Control’. When all desired outcomes have been achieved, the operation of the plan provides a wealth of information which can be fed forward into the next area or activities for action i.e. ‘Adjust’ the next action. As each element of the PICA cycle is considered (and a number of the subcomponents) it will throw up a range of questions that have to be answered before the users can be being fully confident of moving on. The answers to these questions have led us to develop a range of Do’s and Don’ts. These Do’s and Don’ts are not intended to be exhaustive, rather they should serve to make you think about the questions you have asked, or are about to ask of your IT solution. The case reviews and the projects have shown that the range of questions posed can be narrowed down and made manageable. Starting with ‘Notion’ as the launch point we will move round the PICA cycle in a clockwise fashion to consider a number of the key components and resulting activities within the business. Not all will be considered in the same detail: given that the front end sets the scene for the rest of the action, the level of detail here
will be greater than that given to the latter elements. As we consider each of the PICA elements we will suggest a range of Do’s and Don’ts.
