11.4 Conclusion

Now, a warning: The six gates will help you get IT right, but they aren’t foolproof. Vonn says crashes are inevitable, “part of the job description.” What do the six gates do? They help you mitigate risks as they guide your quest to use tech as a game changer.

One final thought: When you crash, get up and get back in the race. Walmart, a highly successful tech adopter going back 40 years, popularized crossdocking in the 1980s, but crashed out with RFID in the early 2000s. Walmart didn’t back away from tech, but stuck to the deliberate Do’s and disciplined Don’ts. The result: Walmart rewrote the rules for omnichannel retailing.

If you are going to push the limits, “scratching and clawing to get to the finish,” Vonn offers a hint: You need to “have a short-term memory.” That’s the nature of technology’s slippery slope.