Six technology mistakes every firm should avoid by DANA H. SHULTZ

Although most of my work involves helping law offices select and implement new networks, I often advise clients on other computer-related matters. Part of the learning process -- for me -- is seeing the many ways people with bright minds and good intentions can cripple their technology investments. Here is some advice based on interesting mistakes I have run across.

Hardware and software

Don't waste money upgrading useless PCs. One office upgraded dozens of PCs from 386 processors to 486 processors so they could run Windows95. The problem: They did not provide video accelerators. The result: PCs that are so slow that they are virtually useless.

486DX2 and DX4 processors, under the best of circumstances, are barely adequate to run Windows95. But to get decent performance, a separate video accelerator (preferably local-bus) must be available to take the video processing burden off the main processor. To choose a marginal processor is short-sighted. To omit a video accelerator is fatal.

Don't stop halfway through an upgrade. A firm with a largely forms-based practice started switching from DOS WordPerfect to Word for Windows. The problem: Fewer than half of the standard forms were converted from WordPerfect to Word. The result: Secretaries are forced to use both word processors. Frustration due to different user interfaces, varying command sequences, and conflicting printer and paper usage is rampant.

Software upgrades are supposed to make users more productive. Firms should provide all the tools that are required to use the new product; train users effectively (more on this topic below); then switch over to the new product and cut off the old.

Don't provide a new system without adequate training. For many of my clients, training is the single greatest challenge. The problem: Initial training was provided five years ago when the current system was installed, but there has been virtually no training since then. The result: Personnel, particularly those who joined after the system was installed, operate far below peak efficiency.

Lack of training usually results from management's ignorance regarding the topic. It is up to MIS personnel to make sure administrators and managing partners understand that without thorough training, investments in new technology are wasted.

Personnel

Don't expect your firm administrator to do the MIS director's job. In smaller firms, the firm administrator often also is the network administrator. The problem: Partners expect that because the firm administrator can add new users to the network, the administrator is also capable of setting the firm's technology strategy. The result: The administrator has neither the expertise nor the time to develop a technology plan. The administrator chafes under unrealistic expectations. Partners are disappointed because they do not get what they need.

Setting the technology direction for a firm is a major undertaking. Whereas large firms often have the required expertise in-house, small firms rarely do. There is no shame in retaining an outside advisor when the need arises.

Don't assume you can do everything in-house. Designing and implementing a new PC local area network properly is a complicated, sophisticated job. Some firms with minimal experience in this area decide that if they can manage their existing (often minicomputer-based) systems, they surely can build a PC-based system. The problem: Even with the latest and greatest network training, novices don't know where the real problems are, much less the solutions. The result: Slow, unsecured, unstable systems that make many users wish they had never upgraded.

Network integrators are vendors who design, build and maintain computer networks every day. If a firm has not implemented a certain type of network before, the firm should call in an integrator who will take responsibility for making sure the job gets done right.

Don't assign project management responsibility to the wrong person. The worst candidates for project management are people who simply cannot organize things. But second-worst are people who are afraid to pass along bad news. The problem: If the schedule starts slipping or costs rise out of control, the project manager goes into denial. The result: Rather than taking corrective action, the project manager lets the situation get worse. In a severe case, the entire project may be jeopardized.

For people who are well-organized and have an eye for detail, project management can be pretty straightforward. People lacking those attributes should not be project managers.

Keep your eyes open! I take comfort from knowing that no reader of this column will ever fall into any of these traps.

Dana H. Shultz may be reached by e-mail at dhshultz@ds-a.com and on the World Wide Web at http://seamless.com/ds/.