The right software, the wrong room: why technology, finance and people must decide together

Good software can still fail. A state-owned company bought a world-class project management system for its strategic projects. Staff only updated it when reports were due, and soon went back to Excel. The technology and budget were right; the people were not ready.

Adoption stalls, then tech takes the blame. Four months after go-live, adoption is stuck at 40%, people cannot find the approve button and old habits return. A year on, the system becomes the scapegoat for a people problem.

Three engines that must run together. Technology asks whether the software fits and how it will evolve. Finance works out the total cost of ownership over three to five years. People decide whether the organization can actually use it.

Look for transferable skills first. Marcino's example: an Indonesian electronics maker moving into electric vehicles hired petrol-car engineers who could not do the work. It found the right skills in its own washing-machine technicians, who already worked with electric motors.

Sitting together avoids buying twice. Finance may plan to buy a claims tool the HR system already has, or IT may own an automation tool HR could use. A joint meeting catches the duplicates.

Give HR a seat at the strategy table. Whatever technology or budget you choose, people run it. Bring HR into purchase and planning decisions, not just to recruit and train afterward.