Is your technology in need of some spring cleaning?

While spring cleaning and technology are not exactly two terms you hear together often, your technology could most likely use some spring cleaning. The truth is most AEC firms could benefit from at least a little maintenance when it comes to their tech. Technology usage in the AEC space is growing yet productivity remains largely stagnant. This is because all technology is not created equal – the widespread use of disparate, unintegrated point solutions creates data silos and hampers the industry’s ability to make meaningful efficiency gains.

How do you spring clean your tech? You can approach the process as you would cleaning through anything else. The goal is to get rid of what you don’t need and ensure that what you’re left with is useful and purposeful. When it comes to technology, that means digging into your solutions to assess your current tech stack. You’ll want to identify what’s working, what’s not, and what falls somewhere in between. The best way to do this is by conducting an information technology (IT) audit.

Preparing for an IT audit

An IT audit is an evaluation of an organisation's entire IT infrastructure, including applications, data use, and other related processes. Taking the time to conduct a thorough audit will help you identify areas where efficiency or security could be improved and assist in creating an action plan to help ensure you’re maximizing productivity gains.

Before you begin an IT audit, it is important to get a better sense of where your business currently stands when it comes to technology usage and where you hope to be. Gather key stakeholders, including those in leadership, IT, and project management roles, to assess the current state of your technology stack. The team should compile a list of your technology solutions and discuss topics such as your satisfaction (or lack thereof) with each of the solutions and the role technology plays in achieving your business goals. This quick evaluation can help highlight areas that need most improvement and prepare you for a more thorough evaluation.

Key IT audit takeaways

If you’re still on the fence about whether your business needs an IT audit, consider what you’ll walk away with. After conducting a thorough technology assessment, you will be able to identify any coverage gaps, including processes that are still being completed manually or areas where systems aren’t integrated and require duplicate data entry. You’ll also gain a better understanding of your options for replacing or supplementing your current solutions, including costs associated with each option.

And most importantly, an IT audit will produce a detailed report outlining all of the key audit findings along with an action plan including specific recommendations, timelines, budgets, and responsibilities for each team member. This documentation will come in handy when it’s time to make decisions about your technology or conduct future technology audits.