Many organisations buy software, celebrate go-live — and assume the system will keep running fine by itself. It won't. Between the users and the supplier sits a role that decides whether a system grows with you or slowly grinds to a halt: the functional manager.
The link between user and system
Functional management translates what users need into what the system must do. Concretely that means:
- Guiding changes: gathering wishes, prioritising them and handing them to the supplier as a clear brief.
- Testing: checking that new functionality really works before it goes live (acceptance testing).
- Supporting users: answering questions, picking up faults, keeping knowledge up to date.
- Steering the supplier: managing agreements, SLAs and the relationship — also called control.
Information management steers, functional management executes
It helps to distinguish two levels. Information management is strategic and steering: where do we want to go? Functional management is operational: how do we keep it working day to day? In the Netherlands there is a standard for this — BiSL (Business Information Services Library) — that helps to arrange the processes, roles and responsibilities cleanly.
Why it often goes wrong
Functional management is invisible when it goes well, and painfully visible when it is missing: changes pile up, nobody tests, and the supplier sets the pace. Often the role is done "on the side" by someone who has no time for it. A proper set-up — or temporary, interim cover — solves that.
The bottom line
Functional management is not a luxury but the precondition for continuing to get value from your systems. The goal is ultimately that your own team can do it themselves — working, maintained and governed.
This article is general information, not legal or organisational advice for your specific situation.