Once you have managed to come to a better understanding of both your own organization and the technologies you're considering, it is time to make sure any initiatives you undertake complement your firm's mission.
While often overlooked, missions have a huge impact on the success or failure of a growing enterprise. The mission determines which direction you'll travel when you set out to expand your company. Therefore, your mission should be specific enough to drive certain actions and encourage specific behavior. Consider the following missions:
Our mission is to be the first provider of legal research services on the Internet.
Our mission is to be the number one provider of legal research services on the Internet, as measured by total number of state jurisdictions, complexity of search conditions, and ease-of-use, as measured by customer satisfaction.
In the first mission every decision - from marketing agreements to how systems are programmed - is governed by choosing rapid solutions over complex, more time-consuming activities. In the second example of a mission - something that takes longer but will result in a deeper and richer experience -specific criteria are chosen over speed. The technology mission aligns with the business mission and drives organizational behavior.