If I were to pick the number one mistake I see local governments (particularly small ones) make with respect to technology it is focusing too much on the solution and not enough on the problem. I’ll use GIS as the example here but it is just as applicable to other technology solutions from financial systems to cell phones. Furthermore, this mistake is not unique to local government but it’s the one I’ve been exposed to the most. Here is the all-to-familiar scenario:
A municipality feels the pressure to put in place a GIS. This pressure could originate from staff or, quite often, it may come from eager politicians that have seen another municipality’s website with web-mapping and feels that they need one too. After sufficient deliberation, the decision is made to purchase the solution. Once the system is in place, a sudden realization occurs to staff that a) they have no data to put into the GIS or, b) the data they have is, well, crap! Council, having spent the money for a “GIS” are now wanting to see results wherein staff have to now make excuses as to why the system is not available (including criticism of the solution provider!). No one is very happy!
The municipality fell into a trap. They focused too much on the tool or the solution without adequate understanding of the problem. If they had, they either would have understood the scope of their data issues and budgeted for it up-front or not undertaken the project in the first place. The GIS became a solution looking for a problem and, well, it found one!
How best to avoid the trap? Understand the problem first before considering any solution. It’s as simple as that.
Had the municipality in my example considered the problem rather than the solution it might have found that it had poor record keeping practices in the beginning that stemmed from a shortage of resources to keep proper records. Whether the records were kept on paper, CAD drawing or a GIS is irrelevant. The problem is the lack of resources to keep records not that the municipality needed a GIS.
Incidentally, I have a confession to make, I too have fallen into the trap but then to quote a very good friend of mine . . . “I’ve made all the mistakes you are about to. . .”
