Now we all expect Christmas to be a time for joy, excitement, and giving. For many children, one of the most eagerly anticipated parts of the holiday is the prospect of receiving new toys. However, it can be a huge disappointment when those toys can’t be played with right away because they require batteries that are not included.
Similarly in the business world, not understanding the technology and its requirements, can lead to disappointment, frustration, lost time and finances.
Purchasing new technology can be a great way to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and gain a competitive advantage. However if proper research and investigation is not done before making a purchase, the results can be frustrating and costly. Without a thorough understanding of the technology, its capabilities, and potential limitations, a company may end up with a product that doesn’t meet their needs, or worse, doesn’t work at all.
Also, not considering the resources required for implementation, such as training for employees or compatibility with existing systems, can lead to lost time and money. It’s important for businesses to investigate any technology they are considering purchasing, including gathering feedback from other users, and understanding the total cost of ownership, including the cost of maintaining and updating the technology.
As someone who is involved in developing and supporting technology stacks and packages for 3D, immersive technology, video/music production, and audio-visual equipment, I understand the importance of selecting the right tools for the job. I wanted to highlight the process I follow to find the right solution for your business. A holistic approach that involves thoroughly researching and evaluating different options, and conducting a detailed assessment of the top candidates. So you are making an informed decision that will provide the most value for your company.
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Define your “Why”
Defining your “why” for a technology is crucial in understanding how it will fit into your business and what problem it will solve. This process involves identifying specific business objectives and goals that the technology will help you achieve. For example, your company may be looking for a technology that will increase productivity, reduce costs, improve customer service, or streamline internal processes.
Once the objectives and goals have been identified, it’s important to clearly define the specific problems that the technology will solve. This includes identifying pain points in the current processes, and understanding how the new technology will address them. For example, if the goal is to increase productivity, the problem could be that current processes are manual and time-consuming. The new technology will automate these processes, allowing employees to focus on other tasks and increasing overall productivity.
Defining your “why” and the problem that the technology will solve is crucial in creating a set of requirements that will guide your research and decision-making process. These requirements will help ensure that the technology you choose will meet your specific business needs and goals, and ultimately drive the success of your organisation.
Identify Potential or Alternative Technologies
Researching potential technologies is an important step in finding the right solution for your business. This process involves identifying and evaluating different options that can address the specific problems and goals that have been identified. There are a variety of sources that can be used to research potential technologies, including industry publications, online reviews, and consulting with experts in the field.
It is important to consider different options and technologies that might not have been considered before. For example, if the goal is to improve customer service, researching customer service software is not the only option. There might be a different solution that solves the same problem, such as hiring more customer service representatives, or training current employees to handle customer service more effectively.
It is important to keep an open mind and consider different solutions that may not have been initially considered. This will help ensure that you find the right technology that will address your specific problems and goals in the most effective way possible.
In this process you will probably find repeating names or companies that provide these technologies. Identifying the key players and companies involved in the technology is an important step in understanding the current state of development and any recent updates or advancements in the field.
At the end of this you will have a list of potential candidates to interrogate so you can find a solution.
Assess potential Risks
Once potential technologies have been identified, it’s important to conduct a risk assessment to evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks or limitations of each option. A SWOT analysis is a useful tool for this purpose, as it helps to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of each technology.
Strengths can include things like cost savings, improved efficiency, and increased productivity. Weaknesses can include things like compatibility issues, lack of scalability, or lack of features.Opportunities may include things like new market opportunities, or the ability to integrate with other systems, while threats may include things like security risks, regulatory compliance issues, or the potential for obsolescence.
Risk assessment is crucial in order to understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of each technology, and to make an informed decision about which option is the best fit for your business. By highlighting the potential risks, businesses can make an informed decision about which technology will provide the most value to the organisation, and which will be the most reliable, secure and cost-effective solution.
It is also important to consider the impact of the technology on different aspects of the business, such as employee productivity, customer satisfaction, and company reputation. One way is by Looking at the user experience and feedback on the technology can provide valuable insights on the practicality, effectiveness and reliability of the technology, and help to identify any potential issues or concerns that should be considered before making a decision.
By conducting a thorough risk assessment, businesses can ensure that they are selecting the technology that will provide the most benefits while minimising potential drawbacks and limitations. By this point, you will have narrowed down the list of potential technologies to 3-5 candidates that are worth further assessment.
Understand the Full Technology Stack
Understanding the full technology stack to meet your needs is an important step in the decision-making process when evaluating new technology. This includes identifying the different components of the technology stack and how they integrate with each other, as well as understanding the resources required to implement the technology. These resources can include financial resources, technical resources, and personnel resources.
It is important to understand the potential scalability and future developments of the technology. This will help businesses to plan for future growth and avoid potential bottlenecks or limitations that could hinder the success of the technology.
It is also important to understand the financial aspects of the technology, like cost, return on investment, and funding. This includes understanding the total cost of ownership, including the costs of implementation, maintenance, and upgrades, as well as the potential return on investment and any funding options that may be available. This will help to ensure that the technology will provide value for the business and that the budget is allocated in the most effective way.
The main hardware component of photogrammetry using DSLR cameras. These cameras are known for their high-resolution images, making them a popular choice however It’s important to note that it is a modular system. There is the camera body, lenses, tripod, batteries, and SD cards each playing an important role. For example, different lenses are suitable for different projects, such as wide-angle lenses for large structures and telephoto lenses for small details. Similarly, tripods and batteries play an important role in achieving stability, and sd cards are crucial for data storage and continuity of the shoot.
To use the camera for photogrammetry, specialised software for image processing and stitching are required. These software are used to create 3D models, digital elevation models, and other products from the images. Additionally, specialised software for the processing, analysis and visualisation of the data, like GIS software, are also required.
It is also important to understand the resources required to implement the technology. This includes the financial resources required to purchase the camera hardware, software, as well as technical resources, such as IT support, data storage and processing, and internet bandwidth. Additionally, personnel resources, such as personnel with the appropriate skills to operate the camera hardware, software, and data processing, are also required.
Now hardware/software components are defined, support is crucial for effectively changing workplace behaviour and adopting new technologies. Training of the personnel and creation of learning material to use the technology and software. This includes training on the camera hardware, software, and data processing, as well as training on the specific applications and methodologies of photogrammetry.
Lastly, it’s important to understand the potential scalability and future developments of the technology. For example, Photogrammetry is becoming more accessible with the development of low cost cameras and software as you can do it with your smartphone now, and it’s being used in more applications, like virtual reality, augmented reality, and other immersive technologies.
By understanding the full technology stack and the other technology requirements, the resources required to implement the technology, the potential scalability and future developments, and the financial aspects of the technology, businesses can make a more informed decision about application of the chosen top candidates.
Research the Trends
Keeping with the Christmas theme here, Researching the past, present, and future of a technology is essential for businesses and organisations to understand its potential impact on their industry and the community. By understanding the history and current state of the technology, as well as its potential future developments and applications, businesses can make plans for future disruption and opportunities, and pivot and navigate to the horizon.
By researching the history and background of a technology, businesses can understand how it has been used and adopted in the past, and identify any patterns or trends that may indicate future disruptions or opportunities.
By researching the current state of development or recent advancements, businesses can understand where the technology is at. This will give them an understanding of the current limitations and opportunities that the technology presents.
By researching the future impact of a technology, businesses can understand the potential of the technology on their industry and the community, and anticipate the potential disruption and opportunities it may bring. This will allow them to make plans for how to best leverage the technology to their advantage and be prepared for any potential challenges.
When researching your top candidates, you need to compare them to a variety of trends outside of your industry. We live in an exciting time and the world is rapidly changing. An example of this is the current state of AI chat platforms like OpenAI and its disruption in education. AI has the ability to write well-structured essays, which means education needs to be ready to pivot quickly to ensure that student’s grades are reflective of their own work and not the AI’s.
With this kind of research, businesses can create a roadmap to plan and anticipate for the future and be better prepared to pivot and navigate towards the horizon, and be ready for the future.
Is This Ethical?
Researching the relevant laws, regulations, security concerns, and standards around a technology is essential for businesses and organisations to understand the legal and ethical implications of the technology.
It is important to stay informed about any changes in laws and regulations related to the technology, as well as any security concerns, and industry standards. This can be a complex and ever-changing landscape.
It is also important to stay informed about the changes in society’s views and ethical concerns around the technology. As society’s views change, so do the laws, regulations and standards.
In response to these issues, CASA has implemented stricter regulations for commercial drone piloting. This includes requiring all commercial drone operators to be certified by CASA, as well as implementing strict rules around flying in restricted airspace and maintaining a safe distance from people and property.
As a result of these changes, drone operators have had to adapt their practices to comply with the new regulations. This has included investing in training and certification for their pilots, as well as implementing new safety procedures to ensure compliance with the regulations. Additionally, companies had to invest in new technologies to help with compliance and safety, like geo-fencing and remote identification.
Overall, the changes in regulations have had a positive impact on the commercial drone industry by improving safety and reducing instances of misuse. However, it also imposed new costs and requirements on the operators, and they had to adapt their business models and processes to comply with the regulations. Also it also prevented me from flying FPV, which made me a big sad and prompted me to start building my own simulator so I can practise FPV cinematography digitally.
By researching the relevant laws, regulations, security concerns, and standards around the technology, businesses and organisations can understand the legal and ethical implications of the technology, and make informed decisions that will protect the interests of the company and the community. It also helps them to be prepared for any changes in laws, regulations, standards, ethical concerns and societal views.
Support Your Choice
After a lengthy investigation of your top candidate, the business has made its informed decision and selected the solution, it’s important to have a plan in place for implementation and to provide support for staff during the transition.
The first step in implementation is to be transparent and clearly communicate the goals and benefits of the new technology to staff. This includes training and educating staff on the new technology, and how it will improve their work processes and overall productivity.
The next step is to provide support and resources to help staff with the transition. This includes providing training and education on the new technology and processes, as well as providing ongoing support and assistance during the implementation process. Additionally, it’s important to have a plan in place for addressing any issues or concerns that may arise during the transition.
Another important step is to actively engage with staff during the implementation process. This includes seeking feedback and input from staff, and addressing any concerns or issues that may arise.
Finally, it’s important to monitor the progress of the implementation and make any necessary adjustments. This includes tracking the progress of the implementation, monitoring the effectiveness of the new technology and processes, and making any necessary adjustments to ensure that the goals and benefits of the new technology are being met.
By providing support and resources, actively engaging with staff, and monitoring the progress of the implementation, businesses can effectively support staff with the changes and ensure a successful adoption of the new technology.
What Now
Technology will always have an impact on how we do things. However, being proactive over reactive is how we stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing business landscape.
Not just being proactive with equipment, however being proactive in improving our people and community. Everyone should feel supported through change and see the potential of why you are making it. How adapting to the new way is going to allow them to focus on what is important. From my experience it’s people that drive progress and keep an eye on future disruptions and opportunities, not technology.
And with our world rapidly changing, it’s exciting to see what’s on the horizon.
