Application erosion is the slow deterioration of a system’s value to an organization over time. There are two key reasons why this might happen; the system has remained static in an environment of technological change or use of the system has faltered from the original design (garbage in – garbage out) or a combination of either of these two.
It’s been my experience that technological change is the most prevalent reason why a decision is made to replace an existing system. Quite often the existing software solution has fallen out of favour because of the perception, either real or imagined, that better options exist (the grass is greener). In a climate of rapid technological change, it is difficult for software vendors to continually make their applications leading edge in the face of the apparent demand for richer features. The sofware business is a hard slog! If a vendor is not perceived to be leading or at least bleeding edge then they are seen to be inadequate. This is not to say that software companies can’t and do fall behind technically but more often than not a well implemented system does not generally need to be bleeding edge to be of great value. After all, it’s the data that’s in a system that’s important not the wrapping around it!
Less obvious, and certainly least admitted, is application erosion from use. This might include:
- Adapting to changing work-flows on an ad hoc basis without making formal changes to the system itself (i.e., work around system to do the job)
- Poorly trained staff (often a result of high staff turn-over)
- Poor maintenance
- Poor implementation (system not designed well to support business processes in the beginning)
Even if a system has a rock solid implementation, over time, use will eventually lead to the system’s demise if an organization is not aware of the role its own staff have on contributing to application erosion.
Determining why a system no longer meets the needs of your organization requires a measure of inward looking analysis and not just looking to a software vendor for solutions. Sometimes the solution to your problems is right under your nose!
