Operate IT at the Speed of Business

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Operate IT at the Speed of BusinessThe rapid IT playbook

2 Operate IT at the Speed of Business ©2016 ThinkWGroup.com Drive Your Business

IntroductionWith technology, timing is

everything. As the pace of

commerce and industry rapidly

escalates, the IT team must

struggle to keep up and ensure

that the business is supported

by the latest and most effective

technology. Not doing so can put

the organization at a significant

The challenge of speeding up ITUnfortunately, keeping IT fast is not

as simple as making the decision to

do so. It takes foundational changes

at every level of the business and

commitment from key stakeholders

within the organization.

IT leaders must overcome institutional

bureaucracy, politics, technological

hurdles, and many other challenges in

order to ensure that their organization

is operating as efficiently as possible.

However, the effort is necessary to

ensure that the company is supported

by the most up-to-date IT systems,

software, and strategies available.

In order to successfully improve

the speed with which initiatives

are conceived, planned, and

implemented, IT leaders must have

an effective playbook. This guide

will help you understand some of

the key challenges of speeding up

IT and how to overcome them.

competitive disadvantage and lead

to loss of market share to more

nimble competitors. In order to stay

ahead of the competition, it is critical

that IT leaders take decisive action

by improving the speed at which

they implement new initiatives.

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The importance of speed in IT transformation

The very foundation of IT is constantly

evolving, forcing rapid development

of infrastructure and services. If an

organization does not act quickly to

capitalize on new innovations, it will

quickly fall behind the curve, lose

potential revenue, and waste resources.

Today, technology is progressing

at a faster rate than at any point in

history. This means that companies

that don’t keep up with the pace of

progress will be left behind. As IT

becomes an even more important

part of practically every business,

it becomes increasingly critical that

companies devote the resources

necessary to support the business. This

means both improving existing services

and infrastructure and investing in

new ideas that are the future of IT,

such as automation and IoT. CIOs

must constantly look forward and

act quickly in order to drive business

goals and support the company.

Technology is moving faster than ever

1 http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/delivering-large-scale-it-projects-on-time-on-budget-and-on-value

About 45 percent of IT projects

experience cost overruns.1 This is

due in large part to projects running

over schedule or being otherwise

poorly planned. This also does not

take into account opportunity costs of

projects that aren’t finished rapidly.

IT projects that save money and make

the company more efficient should

be implemented as soon as possible

to maximize their benefits. Every day

of lost cost savings is money that can

never be recovered. Projects that are

streamlined and brought to market

faster drain fewer resources and cost

less overall. Implementing complex new

solutions takes significant resources;

companies should strive to make the

process as efficient as possible.

Fast IT is cost effective

Having a nimble IT department

that can quickly implement new

technologies helps keep the company

competitive, improves efficiency,

and creates a more effective

support system for the business.

Building a fast IT organization isn’t

just about keeping up, it’s also about

getting ahead and staying ahead.

Forward-thinking organizations that act

quickly have a significant competitive

advantage over companies that are

still using yesterday’s technology.

New watershed technologies like IoT

and automation haven’t even begun

to be fully exploited, even by the

most advanced companies. The fate

of a company can rest on the next

disruptive innovation. The CIO plays

an extremely important role in ensuring

that new technologies and information

systems allow the organization to race

ahead of the competition. By taking

steps to maximize the speed of IT

transformation, IT leaders can better

prepare their companies for the future.

Stay ahead of competitors

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http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/delivering

http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/delivering


Six obstacles to speeding up IT

Perhaps the greatest obstacle of speed

in IT is simply a lack of foresight. When

leaders within IT and the company do

not have the will to look beyond today,

they are unable to plan for the future

and keep their company at the cutting

edge. This can manifest itself in several

ways, including under-budgeting

initiatives, failing to implement new

ideas, and improperly allocating

resources. It is extremely important

that all stakeholders understand

the importance of looking to

the future and are willing

to invest the necessary

resources to properly

implement changes.

1 Lack of foresight

Rapid IT requires organized

communication among a wide range

of individuals. Failing to ensure that

all key players are on the same page

and that there are predefined channels

over which to communicate during the

project will inevitably lead to problems.

It is critical that IT leaders take steps

to communicate their plans and

ensure that everyone understands

what the goals are, what needs to be

done, and what everyone’s role is.

2 Poor communication

Some businesses don’t recognize the

value of emerging IT developments.

They believe that if it works now, it

should keep working for the future.

Unfortunately, this is simply not true

and those companies that aren’t

constantly working to improve their

technology will fall behind. Lack of

buy-in from business leaders can result

in under-funded projects and many

other problems down the road.

3 No buy-in from business

In order to optimize the speed of IT

transformation, it is important to first

understand the obstacles that keep

things slow. By identifying problem

areas and taking steps to address

them, companies can more successfully

implement changes that improve

the speed at which IT operates.

Obstacles keep things slow. But you can speed things up by communicating expectations and being sure get buy-in from key stakeholders before a project even begins.

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Companies should not prioritize

speed above security concerns.

However, there are ways to transition

rapidly without exposing systems

and data to excessive risk. By

ensuring that systems are up-to-

date and implementing a structured

transition plan that puts security first,

companies can avoid issues while

optimizing the speed to transition.

5 Security

Although IT deals in digital information,

it ultimately relies on real-world

infrastructure to function, and that

infrastructure takes a set amount

of time to build out. This can be a

major roadblock to rapidly rolling

out new features and services.

6 Physical infrastructure

Ignoring technical debt today will

only lead to major headaches later.

Problems with outdated systems

and software can cause security

concerns, reliability issues, and many

other difficulties. The longer the

organization waits to address these

problems, the more difficult it will

be to do so and the more they will

contribute to inefficiency and loss.

4 Technical debt

A new project can only be successful and sustainable when the foundational building

blocks of an organization are solidly in place.

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How to speed up ITGiven the benefits of speeding

IT transformation and rapidly

implementing new initiatives, it is

important for leaders to understand

best practices to make the process

go as smoothly as possible.

By making a thorough plan, building

consensus in the company, investigating

new technologies, and utilizing third-

party resources, companies can

A good plan is the foundation for IT

transformation success. Although it

may seem obvious, many IT groups

struggle to make effective, practical

plans before beginning a major

project. This is inevitably a recipe

for disaster and will almost certainly

lead to time overruns. Investing the

time upfront in budgeting, building

consensus, and outlining goals

will pay dividends in the future.

Make a comprehensive plan

SET CLEAR OBJECTIVES

Nearly 30% of the IT projects that

experience cost and time overruns do

so because of unclear objectives. In

order to avoid this, companies must

set clear objectives before a single

dollar is spent. Without this guiding

force, projects can quickly run off

the rails and ultimately accomplish

very little. Creating a plan that

takes into accounts the needs of key

stakeholders, presents a workable

timeline, and allocates the necessary

resources is critical to success.

BE REALISTIC

Although companies should not be

afraid to invest the necessary time

and resources on large and highly

transformative projects, it is important

to be realistic about what’s possible.

Aiming too high can lead to outcomes

that are worse than setting a more

moderate target. By overextending

resources and devoting manpower to

tasks that will never be accomplished,

IT leaders take precious time away

from more reasonable goals that could

benefit the company. This is why it’s

important to make clear plans that

realistically budget time and resources

and allow leaders to make better

decisions about what actions to take.

roll out new functionality more quickly

and take advantage of cutting-edge

innovations before the competition.

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TALK TO KEY STAKEHOLDERS

When designing a plan, it is

important to consult with a wide

range of individuals throughout

the company. This includes people

within the IT group, business leaders,

and end users. Incorporating their

opinions, expectations, and advice

into the plan will help ensure it is

realistic and meets the needs of

as many people as possible.

OPTIMIZE DECISION-MAKING

Bureaucracy and complicated

power structures are the enemies

of speed. When every decision

needs to go through multiple levels

of approval, it is unlikely that things

will get done quickly. By delegating

smaller decisions, IT leaders can

greatly improve the speed with which

initiatives are completed. This means

ensuring that all decision-makers are

on the same page and are working

towards the same goals. This requires

a strong foundational plan and

good leadership from the CIO.

TALK IN BUSINESS TERMS

When making a decision, instead of

discussing the technical ramifications,

discuss its effects in real business

terms. Talk about cost savings and

availability rather than threads, mbps,

and cores. This will keep the discussion

focused on outcome, be inclusive to

business leaders, and ultimately lead

to faster, better decision making.

GAIN BUSINESS SUPPORT

After creating a goal-oriented plan,

it is important to gain support for it

from business leaders. If there is not

a consensus that the transformation is

necessary and beneficial, it is much

more likely that insufficient resources

will be devoted to it and that it will

progress at a slower rate. To gain buy-

in from the business, the plan should

be business-oriented. That means

showing that it will drive business

goals and support the business first.

MEASURE SUCCESS

Any effective plan must provide

an outline of what success looks

like. This should be backed up by

measurable numbers that are regularly

reviewed. This will help ensure the

plan stays on track and does not

lose sight of its overall goals. It also

will help make it more palatable to

business leaders who may require

accountability as a requisite for

giving the OK to a new initiative.

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Technology will never stop being new.

To maximize IT transformation, companies must be poised for innovation.

Maximizing speed in IT transformation

means always looking forward.

By paying attention to new

technologies, IT leaders can better

prepare their company to act and

deploy rapidly. This requires a

willingness to imagine not just what

the company needs today, but

what it might need in the future.

Pay attention to new technologies

AUTOMATION

Automation has been

revolutionizing industry

for the past century. However, we

are now entering a new era of digital

automation that will be unprecedented.

New tools allow companies to

streamline processes that before could

be accomplished only by human

workers. Customer service, self-

healing IT, and many other functions

now are being performed without

any human input. This can radically

improve accuracy and efficiency in

the workplace. The technology can

function as a human productivity

multiplier, allowing workers to focus

on other tasks, while menial work is

performed by automated systems.

IoT

The Internet of

Things (IoT) will

have a major impact on business in

the coming years. By 2020, there

will be an estimated 50 billion

devices connected to the Internet.2

This incredible connectivity opens up

a wide range of possibilities for the

forward-thinking organization. The

technology can drive engagement with

customers, allow new products and

services to be created, and improve

efficiency across the organization.

DATA & ANALYTICS

Data has already

become an important

component of almost every company’s

strategy, but it will only continue to

be more important in the future. More

cost-effective storage and opportunities

for data collection (such as IoT), will

mean that organizations can collect

and analyze more data than ever

before. However, it is important for IT

leaders to understand that data should

not be collected for its own sake. Over-

gathering data can water down the key

points and distract from primary goals.

Before implementing systems to capture

and analyze information, it is important

to first outline a goal for its use.

2 https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2015/10/27/17-mind-blowing-internet-of-things-facts-everyone-should-read/#12c86e503505

Some new technologies to pay attention to include:

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2015/10/27/17


Human resources and physical

infrastructure can be obstacles of

speed in IT transformation. However,

in today’s interconnected world, it is

more possible than ever to eliminate

these considerations and build out

IT with little to no footprint. This is

possible by harnessing third-party

infrastructure and support to roll out

new software and service faster.

Cloud computing and virtualization

RAPID ROLLOUT

Utilizing cloud resources, it is possible

to implement new services in a

matter of hours, rather than months.

Because the resources are elastic, the

scale can be increased or decreased

immediately. This makes it possible

to experiment with new technology

while minimizing cost and risk.

GREATER SECURITY

One of the major obstacles to

rapid IT is security. Using third-

party providers greatly mitigates

this risk as they already have best

practices and support in place that

significantly decrease the chance of a

breach. By taking advantage of their

resources, companies can quickly

create secure, reliable solutions.

PREMADE SOLUTIONS

In many cases it is possible to find

solutions that are already completely

premade and ready to be used

immediately. In these instances,

companies can take advantage of

new technologies without spending

time on development. Although this

may be the fastest way to roll out

new functionality, it may lack the

customizability of tailor-made solutions.

MORE COST-EFFECTIVE

It is often true that using cloud-based

infrastructure is actually more cost-

effective than building out a solution

completely in-house. Completing a

project in-house means buying servers,

building infrastructure, and hiring

support staff. Using a third-party cloud

allows companies to take advantage

of economies of scale and leverage

the power of a large, dedicated cloud

IT infrastructure to their advantage.

SHIFTING ROLE OF IT

In order to fully take advantage of

the power of the cloud and third-

party solutions, IT must be able to

adapt. Although IT leaders were

responsible in the past for building

new solutions from the ground up,

tomorrow they will likely be more

focused on vendor management.

This means negotiating contracts,

monitoring performance, and acting

as a liaison with business leaders.

They will still have a technology-

focused advising role, helping

the business adapt to changing

innovations, but they will not

be as hands-on with creating

solutions. By helping the company

work with technology partners,

they can help maximize the

speed of IT transformation.

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ConclusionsThe coming years will likely see

some of the most rapid technological

change in history. Companies that

don’t work quickly to stay ahead

of the curve will fall behind, lose

market share, and become obsolete.

It is up to IT and business leaders

to work quickly and ensure that

processes are optimized and the

company is ready for the future.

By taking advantage of new

technologies, leveraging the power

of cloud providers, and rethinking IT

from the ground up, today’s IT leaders

can rapidly implement changes that

increase revenue, decrease costs,

and drive business strategies.

For more information on how WGroup can help your IT team work faster,

better and smarter, visit us online at thinkwgroup.com.

ThinkWGroup.com

http://thinkwgroup.com

Founded in 2004, WGroup is a technology management consulting firm that provides Strategy, Management and Execution Services to optimize business performance, minimize cost and create value. Our consultants have years of

experience both as industry executives and trusted advisors to help clients think through complicated and pressing challenges to drive their business forward.

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