INTELLIGENT GOVERNMENT vividly the power and influence of a strong IT function and why IT maturity really matters .
Being so subjective , any “ textbook ” definition of IT maturity can only exist in general terms , but one fundamental principle must be upheld – it is the business ’ s definition that counts . For business executives , IT maturity is the IT function ’ s ability to support current business operations , growth objectives and transformation programs – within the time , cost and quality constraints set by the business . When further qualifying what IT maturity means to the organization , it is common to hear any number of descriptive adjectives : responsive , engaged , proactive , streamlined , stable , agile , aligned , integrated , accountable , efficient , effective , predictable , anticipatory .
The only true measure of IT maturity is what the business says it is . The challenge here is that few business executives can articulate precisely what a mature IT organization would look like to them . They are willing to articulate what a mature IT organization doesn ’ t look like , usually referring to a number of painful anecdotes where the IT department has failed to deliver for the business . So it is the job of IT to help the business reach a consensus on what good looks like before formulating a roadmap to achieving this level of proficiency .
Attribute # 1 : Outward looking perspective Disconnected IT organizations waste precious resources and fail to lead technology strategy An obsessive and myopic focus on technology dilutes IT productivity and prevents a focus on what is truly important to the business . Over the years , business technology requirements have become more complex and diverse and IT departments have done their best under sometimes severe budget constraints to service these growing and changing needs .
The result is a stratified IT ecosystem , built from a patchwork of legacy systems that compete for the attention of IT support people . This infrastructure “ spaghetti ” lacks architecture , stability , flexibility and robustness . Consequently ,
“ THERE IS A GROWING GAP BETWEEN THE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE DIGITAL BUSINESS AND THE CAPABILITY OF ITS IT DEPARTMENT . THIS GAP IS BEING FILLED BY SHADOW IT TEAMS AND BY VENDORS DEALING DIRECTLY WITH BUSINESS FUNCTIONS AND HENCE BYPASSING THE CIO .”
Disrupt IT : A new model for IT in the digital age , Ian Cox , Axin Publishing
the high failure rate keeps IT experts tied up with the infrastructure layer . In essence , IT people are too busy handling the dayto-day maintenance to “ zoom out ” and see the business context of what they do .
Without an outward looking perspective , IT people simply don ’ t know if what they are doing right now is relevant to the business . Unaware of the business context , time and money is inevitably wasted on projects and procurements that don ’ t support a business need ( when there are plenty of legitimate business demands competing for attention ). For everything that the IT department invests in , there is an opportunity cost . For each project that gets done , there will be many more projects that remain undone .
Without grounding IT activity planning in the real world , assumptions take the place of facts and skew priorities . Outward-looking IT organizations actively identify and challenge these assumptions with observations and data in order to test the collective mindset of IT , and bring both thinking and activity into line with the realities of the business context .
High performing IT organizations know the importance of the business context as a guide for IT activity : they are acutely aware of the “ why ”. They look outside the walls of the IT department , pro-actively explore business scenarios , track business processes from end to end to achieve a global view , internalize a range of business perspectives , and join the dots between IT activity and business value . Research from Accenture shows that 50 % of high performing IT organizations explore business scenarios as part of their IT planning process .
How do you achieve an outward perspective ?
• Think from the outside-in : start with the end customer or end user perspective and work inward to create solutions that are relevant .
• Continually ask “ What is the business context here ?” and “ Who benefits from this ?” If the context isn ’ t clear , or there is no clear benefit to end users or end customers , explore the connection with business stakeholders before investing time and budget .
• Strip wasteful projects from the IT project portfolio and non-relevant actions from IT people ’ s work queues .
• Repeat until the habit of validating planned IT activity against business value becomes culturally engrained .
The result is a reduction in waste – a leaner IT project portfolio and more business-focused work queues for individual IT experts . This in turn provides the slack required to develop deeper knowledge of the business , end users , end customers , the market and competitors that IT needs . Armed with a greater understanding of the business ecosystem , IT people are empowered to spot , propose and act on opportunities that will improve performance . The outward perspective and knowledge of the business context is critical to IT ’ s evolution from reactive support organization to proactive solutions initiator .
* The full whitepaper can be downloaded for free at : http :// www . axiossystems . com / resources www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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