operate it at the speed of business
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Operate IT at the Speed of BusinessThe rapid IT playbook
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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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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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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.
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