For Jeff Crawford, senior vice president for Internet operations at Boston-based Fidelity Investments’ e-business unit, the problem was tracking too much system data too closely. The monitor was constantly sending alerts because one threshold or another was always being crossed, he says. It took Crawford’s staff five months to configure Managed Objects’ Formula software so that only major performance failures generated alarms. "The problem was simply access to too much data," he says. "It’s like taking everything good out of your refrigerator and throwing it into a pot?it’s not going to taste too good."

Training and its related costs represent yet another potential pitfall facing performance management technology adopters. As Crawford’s experience proves, getting a performance management tool to work well requires both patience and practice. Given the technology’s complex nature, WEA Trust’s Struve feels that it’s important to let staffers "kick the tires" in test mode before sending them off to training classes.

Despite the various implementation headaches, the long-term gains are more than worth the short-term pains, says Wells Fargo’s Tumas. He notes that performance management technology is the price one has to pay for Web-based systems that are called on to perform an increasing array of sophisticated tasks, yet must also maintain continuous access and rock-solid reliability. The bottom line is end user satisfaction. "It’s truly customer-centric to make sure that customers have the best experience they possibly can," he says. n