Make a Data-Driven Decision on Unified Communications
Quantify the real value and need for UC to make the business case and build a realistic roadmap.
- The organization’s phone system is due for replacement soon.
- The alternatives for replacement aren’t just phone systems, they are Unified Communications (UC) suites and an array of point solutions for communicating and collaborating.
- The infrastructure manager must identify and prioritize the UC features and functions that are most needed, valued, and readily adoptable by users in your organization.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- The most important but often overlooked challenge of the UC project is maximizing user adoption. The more readily users adopt UC, the more business value it will create.
- Users increasingly have access to consumer tools for communication and collaboration. Many of these tools are free to them but have high costs to secure and support in an enterprise environment, are difficult to integrate with enterprise systems, and have unclear product roadmaps.
- The case for UC is unclear: should IT invest in UC or take a point solution or best-of-breed approach that leverages low-cost consumer-grade tools?
Impact and Result
- Survey stakeholders and users to validate IT’s assumptions about what UC functions users really want and need.
- Build a business case on hard data in order to establish buy-in for UC decisions and gain approval.
- Align the UC roadmap with the end-user computing strategy (as well as networking), especially mobility, to ensure UC functionality is compatible with devices and platforms used in the foreseeable future.
Workshop: Make a Data-Driven Decision on Unified Communications
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Make the Case
The Purpose
- Assess the value of making a data-driven UC decision.
- Make a go/no-go decision.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Clarify scope and goals of the UC project.
- Make a business case for conducting a UC end-user survey.
- Build buy-in and momentum for the UC end-user survey.
Activities
Outputs
Define scope of the UC project
- UC Project Mini-Charter
Create a high-level UC project timeline
- UC Project Timeline
Estimate the value of making a data-driven UC decision
- Estimated value assessment for conducting a UC end-user survey
Make a go/no-go decision on whether to conduct an UC end-user survey
- Go/no-go decision on whether to conduct a UC end-user survey
Module 2: Conduct a Preliminary Needs Assessment
The Purpose
- Establish the right direction and momentum for the project.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Maximize UC project support by engaging stakeholders early in the process.
- Ensure you ask the right questions to elicit usable, high-quality survey data.
Activities
Outputs
Document IT’s initial assumptions about UC current state, unsatisfied needs, and future possibilities
Define stakeholder and user groups
Interview or survey stakeholders
Collect and consolidate stakeholder feedback
Identify gaps between IT’s initial assumptions and findings of stakeholder interviews
- Preliminary UC Needs Assessment
Module 3: Develop and Distribute the Survey
The Purpose
- Elicit data and insights into UC use cases, demand, and opportunities.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Survey end users about UC preferences and requirements.
- Produce a visual report with insights into end-user preferences and needs.
Activities
Outputs
Select a survey engine
Refine questions and finalize the survey
Test and distribute the survey
- UC User Awareness & Interest Survey
Module 4: Review and Analyze Survey Results
The Purpose
- Turn the data into a compelling report and usable insights.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Make a data-driven decision on UC.
- Validate UC use case assumptions.
- Support the business case for UC.
Activities
Outputs
Collect and review the results
Identify and assess unused capabilities, unsatisfied needs, awareness gaps, and user trends
Rate the drivers of platform change based on your analysis
- Telephony/UC End-User Diagnostic
Module 5: Incorporate Data into the UC Strategy
The Purpose
- Align the UC implementation with data and insights from the survey.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Clarify and communicate plans to cultivate agreement and inform the UC Business Value Assessment.
- Generate meaningful insight into the economic value of your UC target infrastructure.
Activities
Outputs
Design a UC target infrastructure
- UC Target Infrastructure
Assess the business value of the target infrastructure to identify the financials of your investment
- UC Business Value Assessment
Module 6: Update the UC Roadmap
The Purpose
- Foster buy-in and adoption as you move forward with the UC project.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Create a definitive plan for moving the UC project forward.
- Communicate the UC project goals, benefits, and requirements.
Activities
Outputs
Use Info-Tech’s UC Roadmap template to communicate the business case and project overview
Visualize schedules for UC benefits realization and costs
Determine actions required to complete the UC project
Define roles and responsibilities for completing the UC project
Finalize the UC project communication plan
- UC Project Roadmap
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 2-phase advisory process. You'll receive 9 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation 1: Develop an end-user survey for UC
- Call 1: Define scope of the UC project and create a high-level UC project timeline
- Call 2: Estimate the value of making a data-driven UC decision
- Call 3: Document IT’s initial assumptions about UC current state, unsatisfied needs, and future possibilities
- Call 4: Define stakeholders to interview, and user groups to survey
- Call 5: Refine questions and finalize the survey
- Call 6: Select a survey engine to test and distribute the survey
Guided Implementation 2: Analyze and apply the UC survey results
- Call 1: Review the results to identify and assess unused capabilities, unsatisfied needs, awareness gaps, and user trends
- Call 2: Assess the business value of the target infrastructure to identify the financials of your investment
- Call 3: Determine actions required to complete the UC project and finalize the UC project communication plan
Contributors
- Dennis Roberts, IT Director, Blue Waters Products Limited
- One anonymous contributor
- Survey with 322 respondents
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