I know too much!
Posted on
As I write this, I've not long arrived home from day one of a two day training session on the latest version of our company's CRM system. The organisation I've worked for since 2001 was acquired by a much larger organisation almost eighteen months ago and as of January this year was merged with two others like it to create a new business unit. The aim of this training is to assist in deploying the upgraded CRM system across the three sites in various locations across the UK.
It's an interesting one. Well... Okay, it's not. But it is challenging, and we like a challenge. Since before I joined the company, six-and-a-half years ago, our site has used a desktop client version of the CRM system. Now we have the pleasure of rolling it out, as a web interface, to the other two sites who, until now, have had their own respective systems, designed in house.
It sounds easier than it is. There's a lot to consider. First we need to combine all the data into a single SQL Server database. Because we're adopting a phased migration plan whereby initially only the sales and marketing teams will use the data in the new system, we then need a way to integrate back with the old systems at the other two sites for other teams and functions to use. So, for a while at least, we’re going to be running three separate CRM systems side-by-side with, effectively, the same data and I dread to think how much re-keying.
This is until we can either create a fairly hefty integration engine, or migrate the other functions over to the new version. Couple this with some emotional attachments to legacy systems, users that need things as simple as ABC (or just A if possible) and the usual interventions of a management team that will never, ever use the system, but like to be involved anyway. It has nightmare potential.
The training I'm on at the moment is basically to go over some of the more in depth areas of the software, particularly with a view to re-designing and re-coding the web front end for the sites to use in a way that is meaningful to the business. The trouble is that during the course of the day I realised I already know a lot of what we're being trained on. And what I don't know, I don't really need to (I won't be dealing with it).
I learn through reading or experimenting, which is great for me, but not so good for courses like this. If I'm interested enough to attend a course, chances are I'll already have read or experimented. And I'll already know what I need to know. I know there are definite benefits to it, but it's sometimes difficult to be objective when you're more concerned that large and probably quite useful parts of your brain are dying of boredom.
Tomorrow is day two. It would be nice to say I can't wait. But believe me when I say I can.