The most important question of all was not included:
How will this benefit our customers/clients?
I'm always amused at the great agonizing and justifying non-profit and social services professionals go through when considering information technology. Nobody agonizes that much when considering purchasing a new telephone system. Or a new copier. Or fax machine. Or when using mobile phones to contact staff and clients. Do mobile phones help you collaborate better?
Apply the same questions to whether or not the organization should buy a van, for example.
If we got rid of our IBM Selectric typewriters and buy desktop computers with word processing software, would it make us more effective and efficient?
Should we replace our Mimeograph machine and get a copier? Will that save us money?
Start talking about issues like return on investment (ROI) and total cost of operation (TCO) and continuity of operations (COOP) in case the network crashes. Analyze what your business processes are and how they meet your customers' needs first. Then analyze whether these business processes provide your customers with what they want. Then analyze how you can make these business processes provide higher quality services to customers more effectively and efficiently.
Then analyze what contribution information technology can make to these business processes, and what it will cost.
Don't forget to analyze the negative impacts of the technology. One of my favorite stories is from the early days of mainframe computers and the hype about how databases and information systems would revolutionize businesses. The CEO of a large corporation was asked if computers had improved his management of his company. He replied, "Before we had a computer I could make 5 bad decisions in a day. Now that we have a computer I can make 20 bad decisions before lunch."
Finally, don't forget about the personal costs. Computers make telecomuting possible. Computers make it easier to take work home with you. E-mail can follow you almost everywhere. Devices like BlackBerrys make it possible to communicate with you while you're sitting on the john in the restroom.
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>>;As eRiders, we're in the business of recommending what technology interventions the organisations we're involved with should invest in. Very often we get frustrated because they don't commit the staff time or budget to support our recommendations. But I also wonder how good are we at motivating for why they should make the necessary investments? I've noticed three standard reasons assumed for technology investments, whether they are specifically stated or simply implied: 1. Everybody else is using it and they're doing great! 2. It will make you more effective / efficient / productive 3. It will save you money>>