I've written numerous times on the misuse of technology. Many people mistakenly believe that every problem can be solved via application of technology. While I don't believe they're 100% wrong, they are definitely not 100% right.

Technology is a tool, nothing more, nothing less.

I've had people contact me and ask if dotProject will help get their Project Management problems corrected. The quick answer is “Of course not!”, but the more detailed answer is “Using it may point out some of the holes in your processes.” dotProject will NOT teach you how to manage a project, but it can be used to create and track your tasking, your major risks, and your project's files.

I've had people ask me if SugarCRM will improve their sales efforts. The quick answer is “Of course not!”, but the more detailed answer is “Using it may point out some of the holes in your process. SugarCRM will not teach you how to make sales, but it will let you keep track of your opportunities, your contacts, and determine which are worth your efforts.

The point of both of these examples is to point out that the effective use of a tool can mitigate failure, but not guarantee success. You can use Excel to manage these things, though you'll miss out on quite a few domain-specific features. Developing the understanding and ability to effectively use these tools and combine the information and processes in useful ways are the keys to making them work.

You can't create an author by giving a monkey a computer. He'll simply create garbage even faster. But put a computer in front of JK Rowling, and you'll see something completely different.

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