The pace of technological development is vast, and increasing. Research suggests that this will have an increasing impact on agriculture. The demand for formal control has increased greatly. This was promoted, in part, by an increased awareness about impacts on the environment and subsequent government legislation. The Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management is a project managed by Agri One, a joint venture between Lincoln and Massey Universities. Our research into decision making and information management has shown that formalisation and the use of software solutions / apps is largely driven by compliance requirements and the perceived value add.