RFID as a Process Transformation Strategy
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Posted in: Barcodes
RFID technology can potentially impact so many areas of a company and its processes, the rush to implementation often causes companies to implement poorly and ultimately jeopardize not only maximizing the possible benefit, but the overall value of the integration.
In his recent article, “The Trap of IT focused change” BPM consultant Roeland Loggen discusses how often—and how badly—business process change initiatives fail when IT leads the charge. In the manufacturing process engineering space, these same mistakes can just as often occur and one can almost hear the crescendo of groans of disagreement.
Admittedly the mistakes made when manufacturing engineers define—and then solve—the “problem” may not be the same mistakes that IT might make, or corporate management, or Marketing and CRM, or HR, or QA might make. But that’s not the point.
The point is that Process Engineering and IT and all the others stand to gain substantially when well conceived, drafted and implemented process transformation takes place; and it almost always falls far short of its potential when the transformation is less than holistic. As Loggen says in his excellent article, “Do not think htat IT change will magically result in change in the other dimensions. Focus on the complete business context.”
In auto ID technology space, RFID is virtually equivalent to process transformation in the minds of many—especially those who stand to gain whether or not the implementation succeeds for the user. Yes it is much more complicated to involve everybody at least at some level in the implementation, but even the largest companies still have decision makers. Although the process may take a bit longer when everybody is involved, the ultimate decision to integrate RFID into a process is vastly safer and easier when all the decision is inclusive of and transparent to all the players. And from an installer’s point of view, when everybody sees the organization improve, the creative juices begin to flow and ideas for deeper and broader process improvement begin to emerge.
As for RFID technology specifically, the first question to ask is, “What will RFID do that you can’t do with barcodes?” If the client doesn’t have a concrete, well-considered answer for that, something is going on other than process transformation.
You might win the contract based on the initial excitement. But you haven’t got a clue what headaches are ahead.
As an integrator (and as someone with integrity), you’ve got better things to do.
