Your Checklist: A guide to choosing the right technology for your team and getting buy-in from IT.

Transcription

1 Your Checklist: A guide to choosing the right technology for your team and getting buy-in from IT. When it comes to upgrading, it s hard to make everybody happy, let alone more productive. So, before you start looking at new technology, you might want to take a look at your employees first. They work in all kinds of different ways nowadays. But how do you make sure that everyone in your organization has the right equipment for their working styles to deliver what s best for the organization? Use this guide to have a successful conversation with IT to ensure your employees are given the technology solutions that will make them productive and happy. In this simple series of exercises, we will bring our expertise and help you figure out who needs the power, who needs the finesse and how it all meets IT s needs too. After completing this checklist, you will be ready to discuss your needs and recommendations with the IT department. With this checklist, you can show them that you have done your research and that you understand your employees' needs. Learn more at FutureReadyWorkforceEguide.com 1

2 Summary Doing the right thing for everybody takes a lot of thought. Here s a summary of useful exercises to make your upgrading experience not only as productive as possible for your entire team but also more profitable for your business. Part 1 Part Defining your team s needs 2 Working with IT and other stakeholders Set your goals PG. 3 Add it all up PG. 10 The decision tree PG. 4 Time to execute PG. 11 Understand who s who PG. 5 6 Building your core team PG. 12 Figure out who gets what PG. 7 Know before you go PG. 13 Take it to the next level PG. 8-9 Let s get started! 2

3 Part 1 Set your goals Let s start by asking a few questions. Do you want to keep your team productive and motivated? Are you hiring more remote workers? Is your business shifting its focus? Do you need new equipment that won t slow you down? Or is it all of the above? Okay, so it s more than a few questions, but well worth taking the time to consider. When ready, check off the goals below that coincide with yours. And remember to share this with IT when you present your upgrade proposal. Improve productivity Open new markets or expand territories Enable new processes Support specialized employees Provide adequate tools for the job Expand business internationally Take advantage of new software Support more remote work or collaborate with distant partners Improve mobility Acquire talent Retain talent Enable workers in mission critical field operations Enable workers who need high-performance computing Enable remote work If we missed anything, please write your unique objectives below. What is your total budget? 3

4 The decision tree Put each member of your team through the exercise below and total their results to determine which type of worker they are. That way, whether they work from a conference table, a kitchen table or even a tray table, you ll be one step closer to knowing what technology they should be bringing to the table. Does the team member spend more than 50% of their hours working away from their desk? No Do they do most of their work from a remote location or traveling to off-site meetings? Do they sit at a desk more than 50% of the time? Desk Centric No Corridor Warrior Works from different places Remote Worker Traveling/ offsite meetings On-the-Go Professional Read more on next page to learn about each type of worker. 4

5 Understand who s who A good understanding of your employees and how each of them works is imperative to your success. Research shows that people generally fall into four worker types. This overview will guide you. Some workers might not be as clearly defined they might fall into more than one category, or they might have highly specialized needs for hardware or software. You ll learn more about what to do in these cases later. Mobility Workers These are team members that spend most of their time traveling or out of the office. On-the-Go Pros They work more than half of the time away from the office, traveling and going to off-site meetings. Typical roles Mid-to-high-level executives Marketing/sales executives Field engineers Sales and insurance representatives Services professionals, such as consultants, insurance adjusters and healthcare services professionals Total number : Remote Workers They work full time (at least 30 hours/week) outside of the company, from home or another location. Typical roles Data/claims processing Event workers Sales professionals Consultants Total number : 5

6 Workplace Workers Desk-Centric Workers They w more than half of the time. Typical roles Administrative staff/executive support Accounting/finance Help desk/customer support Engineers Designers Sales representatives Marketing staff Other professionals, such as government and education administrators Programmers Research and Development Total number : Corridor Warriors They work away from their desk more than half of the time, either attending meetings or working from multiple company locations. Typical roles Managers to high-level executives in all departments Marketers Other professionals, such as program managers IT staff Professors Specialists, such as shop floor foremen, warehouse managers and nurses Total number : If your teammates don t quite fit these descriptions, visit us at dell.com/in/workforcechecklist and we ll customize solutions for you. 6

7 Figure out who gets what Now that you know who s who on your team, it s time to figure out who gets what. There is no one-size-fits-all guide for choosing devices, but this is the typical product mix for each worker type. Desk Centric Workers Corridor Warriors 57% Desktop computer *(primary device) 38% Laptop * (primary device) * 36% Smartphone(secondary device) 45% Laptop * (primary device) * 44% Smartphone(secondary device) 30% Tablet * (primary or secondary device) Productivity enhancements: Productivity enhancements: 39% Multiple displays * 30% Docking station * 45% Docking station * 44% Multiple displays * 30% Monitor hub * 30% Monitor hub * Mobile Remote Workers 62% Laptop * (primary device) * device) 30% Smartphone (secondary 30% Tablet * (primary or secondary device) On The Go Pros 59% Laptop * (primary device) * device) 53% Smartphone(secondary 38% Tablet * (primary or secondary device) Productivity enhancements: Productivity enhancements: 36% Docking station * 34% Multiple displays * 31% Docking station * 21% 25% Multiple displays * Monitor hub * 26% Monitor hub * Greenburg Ecosystem Research, Q * 7

8 Take it to the next level Equipping your employees with the basics is essential, but additional accessories can go a long way towards taking their performance to the next level. Here s an exercise to help you provide an entire ecosystem of specialized equipment, accessories and software for each different worker type. For all yes responses, write the total number of specialized equipment needed for each team member into the last column. Desk-Centric Workers Laptop or Desktop Monitor Mouse Keyboard Docking Station Basic equipment: Question No If yes, consider: Total number needed Do they need to take their computer from meeting to meeting? Laptop/tablet with a docking station Do they make frequent phone calls? Wired/wireless unified communications headset Do they have space constraints on their desktop? All-in-One or micro with mounts Do they use any resource-intensive software? Workstation instead of desktop Do they need to perform data-intensive or multitasking roles with large/dual monitors? Secondary, larger monitor and mount Do they work in a design or artistic profession? Digitizer tablet Do they require specialized software? If yes, list the software they use: Corridor Warriors Laptop Docking Station Monitor Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Basic equipment: Question No If yes, consider: Do they need to stay connected and present content in meetings? Multifunctioning adapter and/or headset Do they need to perform data-intensive or multitasking roles with large/dual monitors? Consider a desktop in addition to a laptop Do they work in rugged conditions, such as in a warehouse or outside? Secondary, larger monitor and mount Total number needed Rugged tablet Do they require specialized software? If yes, list the software they use: 8

9 Remote Workers Laptop Docking Station Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Printer/Scanner Basic equipment: Question No If yes, consider: Total number needed Do they use any resource-intensive software? Powerful laptop and possibly an additional desktop Do they need to perform data-intensive or multitasking roles with large/dual monitors? Secondary, larger monitor and mount Do they work in a design or artistic profession? Digitizer tablet Do they work in outdoor, possibly harsh, conditions? Rugged device Do they print or scan documents? Printer/scanner Do they work from locations with inconsistent Wi-Fi? Mobile hotspot and/or multifunctioning adapter Do they require specialized software? If yes, list the software they use: On-the-Go Pros Laptop or 2-in-1 Multifunctional Power Supply Multifunctional Adapter Carrying Case Basic equipment: Question Question NoNo yes,consider: consider: IfIfyes, Do they use any resource-intensive software? A powerful laptop and possibly an additional desktop Is there often a need to shift between desktop and on-the-go productivity? Wireless monitor, wireless dock, and wireless keyboard/mouse Do they need to perform data-intensive or multitasking roles with large/dual monitors? Secondary, larger monitor and mount Do they work from locations with inconsistent Wi-Fi? Mobile hotspot Do they work in small spaces, such as on a plane, where a laptop can be difficult to work from? Tablet or 2-in-1 device Do they work in outdoor, possibly harsh, conditions? Rugged device Do they frequently need to print from home? Personal printer/scanner Do they require specialized software? If yes, list the software they use: Total number needed each you will need 9

10 Part 2 Add it all up Tally up the types of workers you have along with the devices and accessories required and take this page to your IT department when you re ready. Question DeskDeskCentric Centric CorridorRemote Remote On-the-Go On-the-Go Total Corridor Pros WarriorsWorkers Workers Pros Warriors How many of each worker type do you have? How many? Desktops? 2-in-1 devices? Laptops? Tablets? Workstations? How many of these accessories? Docking stations? Monitors? Wireless docking stations? Mouse and keyboards? Wireless keyboard and mouse? Multi-functional power supply? Digitizer tablets? Printer/scanners? Unified communications headsets? Laptop Docking Station Monitor Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Desktop Mouse Printer/Scanner Carrying Case Laptop or 2-in-1 Multifunctional Adapter Keyboard Multifunctional Power Supply 10

11 Time to execute Now that you ve got a plan, take this checklist to IT (don t forget page 10) to help them understand your needs and how you came to your conclusions. Remember, IT is there to help. They are also there to keep your team s information secure and to help you avoid any downtime. To make sure you understand each other always keep in mind the following steps: Give it time The decisions made by IT sometimes aren t immediate, but they take time for a reason: they are protecting the best interests of your department and of the company Have regular meetings Bring your team and company stakeholders together to check in about how the new technology is suiting everyone. As your team uses their new devices, they might have questions. And the company s stakeholders might have updates for your team along the way. Regular meetings can keep everyone on the same page. Understand everyone s goals Your department doesn t only need fast, secure devices. It also needs the devices that will accomplish your broader goals employee satisfaction, improved mobility, running newsoftware and so forth. Make sure that IT understands these diverse needs. 03 Maintain open communication Before deciding on the technology to equip your team with, have an open conversation with IT about any concerns or roadblocks. Without knowing the real issues, it may be difficult to come to a resolution. 11

12 Building your core team By now you should have an idea of what devices your team needs based upon their roles, but you re not quite done. Now you need to think about how to secure and manage each device to ensure that each system works well over time. Dell recommends forming a core team comprised of IT stakeholders who can help you think through the lifecycle of your new devices and how they should be supported. Use this guide to gain a full understanding of what needs to happen before you acquire your new devices. This collaboration with IT and other stakeholders ensures you re making the best possible purchase decision, taking all needs into account. 1 Plan & Design Owner name: 2 Deploy & Train Owner name: Tasks: Tasks: Identify your workforce personas Prepare devices Deploy devices on site Train users on technology Identify which devices they ll need Work with IT, HR, Facilities, Finance and Procurement to acquire devices Input name: Establish roles and responsibilities for stakeholders Validate IT requirements with the checklist Reviewer name: Plan the life cycle of devices with this page Input name: Reviewer name: 3 Manage & Support Owner name: 4 Transform & Retire Owner name: Tasks: Tasks: Secure devices with user authentication, data protection and malware prevention Manage operating system and software updates Support hardware and software challenges Manage network access and connectivity for collaboration Consider the service and support needs for each device/person Assess which devices need to be retired Transform existing solutions that are still functional Retire old technology Recycle older devices Input name: Input name: Reviewer name: Reviewer name: 12

13 Know before you go. Congratulations! Here s what you accomplished by completing the checklist. 1 Identified goals and objectives. 2 Identified the types of workers you need to plan for. 3 Figured out who needs which device. 4 Added everything up. 5 Identified your key next steps to execute your plan. 6 Identified partners to help with life cycle management. How can Dell continue to support your company? We re happy to answer any questions you might have and to help however we can. Learn more at dell.com/in/workforcechecklist 13