Imagine having a smart tool within your company that cuts your employees' time by half, reduces costs, increases customer satisfaction, and enhances productivity. This is a scenario every business owner looking to grow their company aspires to, right? But what many don't know is that achieving this scenario may seem easy, but in reality, it requires basic steps before starting implementation.

Many business owners face early failures when embarking on an internal technology project, not because of a weak idea, but rather due to the lack of the basics: a feasibility study, a solid project plan, and a clear vision of the company's needs. This leads to drained budgets and management confusion.

In this article, we will explain to you, as a business owner, what you need to know before starting an internal technology project, so you can avoid any potential failures and increase your chances of success.

Why do companies need an internal technology project?
Before starting to implement technology projects, you must first ask yourself: What value will the project add to the business? The answer to this question lies in identifying the company's needs, for example:

Improving operational efficiency: Through internal technology projects, you can automate repetitive tasks, reduce human errors, and free up significant employee time and effort to focus on more important tasks.
Supporting decision-making: Technology systems collect and analyze data more accurately, providing companies with comprehensive insights that help make strategic decisions more efficiently.
Enhancing competitiveness: Any technology project aligned with the company's needs gives it a competitive advantage and helps it achieve growth and sustainability.
Basic steps before starting any internal technology project
We initially agreed that implementing technology projects must begin with a number of basic steps. This is to ensure that no failures occur. These steps are as follows:

First: Feasibility study
The purpose of a feasibility study is to determine the viability of any technology project you wish to implement. This is done by comparing the cost and time required to build an internal technology project versus the cost and time required to purchase off-the-shelf technology solutions. The steps of a feasibility study are as follows:

Business Needs Analysis: Start by assessing the company's needs and accurately defining the problems it wants to solve. What challenges does the company face? For example, are they related to customer relationship management? Tracking and managing inventory? Or enhancing internal communication channels? The more deeply you understand and define the problem, the more efficient and effective your technology project will be.
Cost Estimation: The cost of building and implementing an internal technology project is not limited to initial development costs; there are also hidden costs that appear later. These include:
Maintenance and Update Costs: Technology projects constantly require regular maintenance and updates to keep pace with changes and developments and to efficiently meet user needs.
Infrastructure Costs: Will your technology project require a dedicated server, or will you rely on cloud computing services?
Training Costs: Working through an internal technology project must be preceded by training employees on how to use and operate it. This ensures the project's objectives are met.
Risk Analysis: Any technology project is likely to face risks during operation. These risks may include technical issues (e.g., performance failure), human resources issues (e.g., employee disapproval of the new system), or financial issues (e.g., exceeding the project's budget).
Don't forget that the purpose of the feasibility study is to help clarify the picture before implementation. Technology projects may look excellent on paper, but through the feasibility study, you may discover that resources are insufficient or the time is not appropriate for implementation at the current time.

Second: Project Plan
After you have conducted a feasibility study for your technology project and confirmed that it is the appropriate option for implementation, the most important step is to develop a project plan. Its importance lies in its role as the compass that guides the team to achieve the desired goals. The project plan must be clear and include the following elements:

Define Objectives: What are the objectives to be achieved through this technology project? These objectives may include increasing sales, reducing costs, or enhancing customer satisfaction. These objectives must be specific and measurable.
Defining Scope: Implementing any internal technology project must be specific and clear in its required tasks to avoid what is known as "scope creep." This means identifying the initial benefits of the project and avoiding any additional benefits that may not be needed during the initial implementation. This ensures that the project is not delayed or exceeded on budget.
Defining Resources: Implementing technology projects requires financial, human, and technical resources. Therefore, each component must be precisely defined. For example, who is responsible for implementing the project? Will you need to hire external experts? What technical resources will be required to build the project? And so on.
Duration: To ensure the project is implemented on time, a timeline must be established for each phase. Set achievable deadlines and track them continuously to ensure adherence.
Risk Management: After analyzing the potential risks you identified in the feasibility study, don't forget to develop a detailed plan to manage them when they occur. This will help you avoid any associated losses or failures.
Communication Channels: The success of any technology project lies in effective communication between team members and decision-makers (stakeholders). Therefore, communication mechanisms must be established before implementation begins and during the development of the project plan.
Remember, the project plan must be monitored periodically to ensure the project's progress and to amend it as necessary.

Third: Identify the Work Team
To ensure the successful implementation of the technical project plan, it must include selecting the appropriate work team. This team includes the following:

Technical Engineer: Must be experienced in