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That IT department, eh? What a bunch of self-important killjoys?
You will hear something similar, if not much more impolite, in many manager’s offices in companies the world over every day. Nobody likes having their dreams of a fancy new, all-singing and all dancing piece of software kiboshed by those busybodies in IT, but sometimes, unfortunately, saying no is the right thing to do.
Often the difference between a competent and functioning IT department is the presence of, and adherence to, a long-term IT Strategy.
The key function of IT is to support the business, ensure risk is mitigated, and avoid waste. So, an IT Strategy should be a programme roadmap that is primarily interested in managing the capacity of the IT department to deliver the best value to the business. Whether this be projects, day-to-day support or protecting the business from threats.
The strategy should be agreed up at the highest level within the business. You can of course build in headroom for unforeseen projects that are deemed important and beneficial, but the priority should always be the core business goals and ensuring that the IT department is not overstretched or out of its depth.
People are key to the strategy: Do we have the resources to deliver the agreed projects? A long-term strategy will aid recruitment and ensure costs are budgeted for. One question a strategy might also ask is does the business have the user expertise/capability on-hand to operate the software when deployed? There is no point having sophisticated IT software with nobody clever enough to use it!
Also important is the relationships between each piece of software. Can they interface without the need for manual intervention? What bridges need to be built, and is there a better alternative on the market?
In the past I consulted a business that had no unified IT programme management. The Board signed off various pieces of software that would represent a huge investment in time and money, and there was little understanding of whether they could work together before contracts were signed. This error in strategic control led to delays, expense, and duplication of transactions on the factory floor. In other words: waste.
An IT Strategy will give a business a realistic expectation of its capacity for change and which projects to undertake and when.
If you are running a growing business and feel the time is right to invest in better IT infrastructure, Chasm can help in many ways, but first let us help you create an IT Strategy that ensures that going forward you know when and why to say no.