"Associations need to define their “core” business—and for many it is not technology. Many associations do not have the resources to have full-time technology staff. And when they do, rarely are they going to be experts in all areas.

So, if your answers to one or more of the questions below is, “Huh?”, do not feel bad. You are not alone. But don’t feel sanguine either! You should feel concerned, very concerned. Do not pass “Go!” Proceed directly to undertake a thorough assessment of the office technology your association uses:

-How many time zones do your members cover? If your answer is more than three, is your association able to handle the bulk of their inquiries “real time?”

-Are you able to tailor your member communications to meet the individual needs and interest profile of each member?

-Do you know which of your association’s services/events/publications each of your members finds of interest and uses?

-How much of your registrations and sales are done through your website?

-Is your website set up to capture ambient Internet searches for information that your association provides?

-Staff utilization--How much of your staff’s time is spent on matters that could be handled more efficiently through technology?

Framework for technology assessment

These steps are provided to help you conduct a technology assessment, the first step to building a technology plan. Use the following as a framework: change it, add to it and adapt it.

What is technology assessment for associations? Technology assessment assists an association in defining its current opportunities and needs. It is the basis of an association’s technology plan. Below are some key steps involved in conducting an assessment:

1) Build organization commitment. Get commitment from the organization to explore using technology to strengthen your organization.

2) Develop a committee. Create a small committee staff and leaders (2 – 4 people) who are responsible for carrying out the assessment.

3) Collect information to address the following questions:

i. What are your organizational goals?
ii. How many members?
iii. Committees? Staffers?
iv. With whom do you work with?
v. What is your budget for communications?
vi. What are your biggest challenges?

4) Define areas of work that technology can advance or assist with:

i. Communications
ii. Media/materials creation
iii. Participation
iv. Research and analysis
v. Administration and programs
vi. Campaigns

5) Identify questions and answers for each area:

i. How are these tasks done now?
ii. How frequently?
iii. Do you have goals for each? If so, what are they?
iv. Who is involved in getting them accomplished?
v. How effective are your current methods?
vi. What equipment do you use to make them happen?

6) Assess member and staff skills in using technology:

i. What technology do you use now?
ii. What would you like to be able to do?
iii. Conduct equipment inventory
iv. How many computers and how old?
v. How many have Internet access?
vi. What other equipment do you use? To do what?
vii. What software do you use? To do what?

Compile all the information in a document then select key areas against which to benchmark your organization’s performance. How does your organization compare with the “best practices” of others?

Use this assessment to determine which hardware and software systems might enable your organization to reach the levels of operational performance it seeks.

In- house or outsourced?

Note while doing an assessment that you should not exclude the possibility of outsourcing certain specialized functions that can be done better (i.e., less expensively and/or more effectively) somewhere else.
Contracting for services and leasing equipment makes for a more consistent budget line from year to year, rather than having large spikes in years of equipment buys. Contracting for services also can give an assn more leverage. If a contractor doesn¹t own the equipment, it can be easier to fire them if they are not performing. The more comprehensive the outsourcing contract, the harder it is to make changes.

A good analogy is the telephone. In the past, people bought their phones and services from one phone company, but now they can mix and match from any number of sources. We believe that the computer industry is going the same way.

If outsourcing technology makes sense for your organization, one of the most important factors to consider is having a contractor located nearby. Although almost every network problem can be handled remotely, on-site calls still happen. Even though security is a concern in remote management, the use of VPNs and firewalls provides protection.

How often to upgrade?

Some assns may want to consider moving towards a seatlike contract that
typically is tied to an automatic technology refresh about every two years. But many organizations will find they don¹t need new equipment so often, particularly if employees are working in office suite or word-processing programs.

Most people don¹t use a quarter of the power of their PCs, suggesting that four or five years would be a more practical refresh period for some organizations.

The Internal Revenue Service allows a period of five years for writing off the expense of your hardware and software investments. Although businesses have been applying pressure on the IRS to reduce this period to three years, you can probably use this as a guideline for how frequently you need to assess your organization's technology.

Technology is evolving so quickly that if the IRS recognizes a given
hardware or software's useful lifespan to be five years, then it is probably useful for your organization to adopt this mindset as well.

In his book Walden, Henry David Thoreau warns us not to become slaves to the tools that are meant to serve us. This is a good bit of advice to keep in mind. Undertaking periodic technology audits in this manner will help ensure your tools are kept in their proper place and that they serve their proper function: to free you and your staff for more important things.

Steven M. Worth is president of Plexus Consulting Group, Washington, D.C. E-mail: steve_worth@plexusconsulting.com.