Introducing RFID Deployment Framework

Fundamentally, a decision to deploy RFID technology in an enterprise is a business decision, not a technology decision. It should be driven by business drivers such as increasing competitive advantage, creating new services to deliver more value to customers, streamlining operations, or complying with rules and regulations. If a decision is driven only by the "coolness" or "buzz" of the technology, it will likely not lead to maximum benefits.

How do you ensure that RFID technology is being adopted for the right reasons? Through alignment of strategy and execution. Alignment is the process of integrating business strategy with technology strategy and providing the right organizational infrastructure for execution. Such alignment ensures that the technology strategy of an organization is driven from the business strategy. Process and organization reengineering follow this step.

A conceptual framework can act as an effective guide to ensure alignment. It provides a structured way to do the following:

• Identify the problem and surrounding issues

• Define possible solutions and their attractiveness (return on investment, or ROI)

• Create a plan for successful deployment and support

In Figure 5.1, we outline a simple yet effective framework to arm you for a successful RFID deployment. Each part of the framework represents a major phase of an RFID deployment project. Each phase builds upon the previous one. Successful completion of one phase paves the way for moving the project to the next phase. We provide a set of questions that must be answered for successful completion of each phase. In addition, we list a sample set of deliverables for each phase. Several examples are illustrated to provide real-world verification of the concepts. Review of this material should help you properly plan for your RFID project and prepare in advance for possible areas of complication. Such planning should help accelerate your overall deployment timeframe. Note that these questions and deliverables are samples only. They are likely to be different from one enterprise to the next. Nonetheless, they should provide a good starting point for a practitioner to build upon.

Figure 5.1. RFID Deployment Framework

The following sections look at the framework in detail. Note that the description is kept at a conceptual level and is not intended to replace a project management tool. Many project and process management tools are commercially available that can be used for that purpose. Many consulting and systems integration companies have their own proprietary tools. The selection of those tools depends on factors beyond the scope of this book. On the other hand, no matter which tool or consulting company you decide to go with, the framework that follows should provide a checklist to supplement detailed project plans produced by those tools.