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Rapidly Develop a Visual IT Strategy
Break the cycle of outdated and unread IT strategies. Info-Tech's products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns.© 1997–2017 Info-Tech Research Group
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“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
ANALYST PERSPECTIVE “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin All too often, a busy IT organization creates a laundry list of IT to-do projects and calls it an IT strategy. Sometimes they are requests from the business, other times they are projects that simply need to get done. But being busy doesn’t necessarily mean that you are busy doing the right things. Figuring out which projects are most important from a business-value perspective, and ensuring that projects are done in the right sequence, is absolutely critical to a successful IT organization and business. By using a purpose- and visual-driven approach to IT strategy that derives your IT roadmap from business outcomes, you can be assured that you are not just doing valuable projects, but doing the right, valuable projects. David Yackness, Director, CIO Advisory Info-Tech Research Group
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Our understanding of the problem
CIOs or IT leaders who need to develop, document, or improve their IT strategy. An IT leader looking to become more effective. An IT leader desiring to drive increased business value. Create an IT strategy using an efficient and logical process. Visualize IT’s target state and articulate how it will empower the organization’s success. Develop the IT target state and IT initiatives designed to optimize business performance and enhance IT maturity. Communicate the IT strategy to key stakeholders. IT departmental leaders who need to participate in or lead sections of the development on an IT strategy. Drive internal and external IT alignment through a common vision and a shared sense of purpose. Create a collection of initiatives that streamline progression to the target IT state. Establish a roadmap of initiatives to achieve the future of IT.
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Executive summary IT does not do a good job aligning to business goals, with 47% of business leaders feeling that their goals are unsupported by IT. The organization spends enormous amounts of money on IT but cannot see its ROI nor the value that IT adds to the organization (Boulton, 2015). A list of projects is not a strategic plan. A good strategy clearly links projects to goals. A compelling strategy proves more than IT’s contribution to business objectives. It details what needs to get done and when. You do not have to reinvent the wheel to make a good strategy. Start from a conventional base, and work from there. The speed of business is faster than ever before. This means that IT has a limited amount of time to consider business plans, understand their implications, and adapt (Cox, 2016). Most IT departments lack the skill to develop an IT strategic plan, resulting in a staggering 92% of IT departments surveyed to claim their IT strategies were less than adequate. Derive the IT strategy based on the business context. Use Info-Tech’s implications framework to discern IT implications from the business context. Clearly demonstrate how IT will meet the changing needs of the organization by showing where IT is and where IT wants to be to stakeholders using Info-Tech’s IT Strategy Current and Target State Template. Use Info-Tech’s prioritization matrix to help make project decisions in a holistic manner that allows for the selection of the most valuable initiatives to become part of the IT strategic roadmap. Show the clear alignment of the IT strategy to organizational goals using Info-Tech’s IT Strategy Template.
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Technology is becoming ever more embedded in modern enterprises, blurring the line between the business and IT 2017 Digital Ecosystems Immersive UX Autonomous Machines Automated Cognition Distributed Validation Everything as a Platform Decentralized Making Adaptive IT 1990s Service Desk VOIP Ethernet Integrated Circuits Fax Source: Info-Tech Trend Report
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While the business has utmost dependency on IT, IT leaders feel that their strategies are unsatisfactory While the business depends on IT for 84% of their functionality… 84% of CIOs feel that their IT strategies are less than adequate. 96% Info-Tech’s CIO Business Vision Diagnostic, N=602
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That’s no longer an option.
IT’s success is dependent on having a deep understanding of the business Traditionally, IT was seen as a separate, isolated support function. As such, IT strategy creation often happened in isolation and without a good understanding of the business. That’s no longer an option. Business IT IT should help the business achieve its goals. The business must see IT as a value generator – not just a cost center. Each party must understand what the other does. A clear link must be established to show how the IT strategy supports the business. Success Source: Aubert et al. “Information Technology and Organizational Transformation”
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Understanding the Business Define an IT Strategy & Roadmap
Info-Tech recommends defining the business context before creating an IT strategy This blueprint focuses on creating an IT strategy by defining the target state, understanding the current state, and closing the gap between them. Understanding the Business Define an IT Strategy & Roadmap Having a clear understanding of the business is crucial to creating an IT strategy that aligns with, enables, and drives the business forward. Instead of guessing what the business needs, a deep dive is required to align with business goals and become a partner in the organization. This blueprint contains activities to discover and document the details IT needs from the business to build an IT strategy. An IT strategy helps the IT team identify, organize, and execute IT’s goals, capabilities, and initiatives. This will support the entire organization’s technology needs, from running the service desk to driving innovation. This blueprint will help to create and document the IT strategy, mature the IT department, and increase business alignment.
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What’s the purpose of an IT strategy?
Objectives Help to organize IT’s financial, technical, and human resources around business value, and provide oversight to manage risks. Affect how IT decisions are made. Prioritize IT initiatives to recognize dependencies and synergies. Improve alignment between the business and IT, and among IT stakeholders internally. Provide a holistic view of IT’s plan for the future. Key Components: Understanding of the business. Where the business is headed and how it will get there. Summary of the target state. What we want the future of IT to look like. Summary of the current state. What IT currently looks like. Roadmap to get from the current state to target state. Path to achieve the future state of the IT department. Things don’t just happen; great CIOs make them happen. They build and implement business-aligned IT strategies. – Reynold Lewke, William Barton Rogers Society
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This blueprint is designed to create the roadmap that moves IT from the current state to target state Reaching the target state is the ultimate goal of an organization, accomplished via the completion of initiatives. By uncovering the current state and the ideal target state, a roadmap can be created to chart initiatives and achieve the organization’s goals. IT Current State IT Target State Roadmap Start Finish Although it might be tempting to jump right into putting projects on a roadmap, a thorough understanding of both the target and current states are needed to build a successful IT strategy.
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Our methodology walks you (and your business) step by step through the development of an IT strategy
With demands for faster change on a budget, you need a dynamic methodology that helps IT achieve the target state. Info-Tech is here to help. Business Context Vision/Mission Statements Target Maturity Ladder Target State 1 Implications on IT IT Guiding Principles IT Capabilities IT Strategy Scope IT Strategic Goals Current Capabilities Current IT Budget Current Maturity Ladder Current State 2 Management & Governance Diagnostic IT SWOT Current Initiatives CIO Business Vision Diagnostic Gap Assessment Prioritized Initiatives Communication Plan Initiatives & Roadmap 3 Future IT Initiative Roadmap Refresh Plan Projected IT Budget Strategy Risk Approval
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Info-Tech Research Group Helps IT Professionals To:
Quickly get up to speed with new technologies Make the right technology purchasing decisions – fast Deliver critical IT projects, on time and within budget Manage business expectations Justify IT spending and prove the value of IT Train IT staff and effectively manage an IT department Sign up for free trial membership to get practical solutions for your IT challenges “Info-Tech helps me to be proactive instead of reactive – a cardinal rule in a stable and leading edge IT environment. - ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co., LP Toll Free:
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