Managing ICT Based Service Innovation

This chapter provides a framework for technology project implementation in systems where the human is an integral element of the completed project. Unlike logically devised software codes and performance tested hardware components, human responses can be unpredictable when faced with the combined stressors of technological and organizational change, which occur when management dictates a technological upgrade. As such, the human interface is a dynamic system component that has the ability to degrade or disable system performance in ways unlike other subsystems. This leads to the idea that integrating employee preparation and participation into the design process from concept development through system deployment improves technology adoption and thereby overall system performance and acceptance of the technological enhancements. An analysis of peer-reviewed literature combined with the author’s industrial experience provides a ten-step process for converting an existing manual system to an automated or computerized version with emphasis on integrating the human element.