ICT Management > Strategy & Planning

An introduction to technology planning

By TechSoup

A technology plan can sound like another piece of bureaucracy. Don't be fooled! There is no substitute for thinking through what you need and how you will meet those needs. Technology planning is the process that will help you save money on technology, buy what you need and use technology as a tool to accomplish your organisation's mission. This article provides an introduction to the technology planning process.

 Technology planning is the magic ingredient that will help you to:

• Obtain funding. Funders will be much more likely to give money for technology if you can show them a technology plan
• Use technology effectively to further your mission. The technology planning process can expand your horizons and help you see new ways in which technology can further your mission
• Buy the right equipment. Purchasing hardware, software and networking equipment can be overwhelming. If you don't plan, it's easy to end up with something that is way too complicated or doesn't do what you need it to. There's no substitute for thinking through your goals and researching possible solutions
• Save money. You probably do not need the fanciest system on the market. Planning allows you to figure out how to spend less and still meet your needs
• Avoid crises. Bad technology decisions can leave you suffering for years. A faulty system can send your stress level through the roof and make you lose crucial data and capabilities
• Use staff time more effectively. How many hours of staff time have you lost to those niggling technical problems? A technology plan will help you streamline staff use of technology, and put systems in place that will make technology a useful tool for staff, not a stumbling block
• Protect yourself from staff turnover. If the person who knows your technology leaves, what will you do? A technology plan can save you by providing documentation of existing systems as well as future plans.

Ready to get started? Technology planning is a process. TechSoup has broken it down into seven phases:

Establish leadership and support

Setting up a technology team and ensuring management and staff buy-in will allow you to get started with the whole organisation behind you.

Assess your resources

The first step in planning is to assess your existing technology. What do you have in place? How well is it working?

Define your needs

Why do you need technology? What will new technology help you do that you can't do already? Defining your needs will enable you to choose the most efficient solutions.

Explore solutions

The next step is to research existing technology options and decide on ones that meet your needs at a minimum cost.

Write the plan

Your written plan should document your resources, needs and solutions, as well as your budget.

Get funding

You can now use your technology plan as key element in seeking technology funding.

Implement the plan

Setting a timeline, assigning responsibilities and evaluating your progress will make your plan a reality.

If this seems like a lot to handle, remember that most nonprofits will want to seek help with one or more aspects of the technology planning process. Don't despair! Help is available. Technology planning is no simple matter, but it is a rich, powerful process. In the long term, it can reduce your headaches tenfold, and lead you to use technology to further your mission in ways you never dreamed of. For supporting documents and additional resources for technology planning, try these sites:

Techsoup Web site technology planning section

Summit Collaborative Tool kit for strategic technology planning

NPower tools and resources section contains information on technology planning, including technology literacy benchmarks, "Technology Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders Guide", and links to other technology planning resources.

If you are really serious try this great book: Strategic Technology Planning for Non-profits (2003) By Joni Podolsky and published by Jossey-Bass. Available from amazon for £24.99.