Step 1: Define Strategic IT Initiatives
You now have a set of opportunities to improve the application portfolio, enhance technical infrastructure and strengthen the IT organization. You now need to turn those opportunities into action and describe what needs to be done.
Info-Tech Tip: Do not over-engineer or over-think this step. Many organizations maintain a master list of projects, in priority, from year to year making minor adjustments based on changes in company objectives.
Info-Tech Tip: Use Info-Tech's advanced tools when the list of priorities is less obvious; when the opportunities are many and varied; and, when the interdependencies need to be sorted out.
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1.1 Evaluate and Select Initiative Options
Many opportunities identified will have straightforward solutions that can be outlined and prioritized. However, in some cases, an opportunity may have multiple solutions that should be evaluated before deciding how to proceed.
Following the example of the mobile application above, there may be different combinations of systems and processes that might solve the business need. There may be an application with a wireless tablet device that keeps service technicians connected to an automated dispatch system in real time. Alternatively, there may be an application that downloads service orders several times per day. A third option may be a solution where the technician synchronizes a laptop application at the beginning of the work day and then receives schedule updates via mobile phone.
Each of the above options should be evaluated based on how well each option meets company objectives compared to the investment required. Use Info-Tech's advanced tools, "Analysis of Available Options" and "Option Evaluation Tool," to assist in completing this step.
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1.2 Assess Current IT Projects and Initiatives
Most IT organizations do not wipe the project slate clean when they start formulating an IT strategy. There are usually projects in-flight and already planned and approved. Nonetheless, it is important to confirm that these projects should still continue as planned given the company's current strategic priorities. Use Info-Tech's "Current IT Projects" tool to help document planned and approved and in-progress projects.
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- Pick PM Software with Full Project Portfolio Management in Mind
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1.3 Define Strategic Initiatives for IT
For many organizations, completing a prioritized list of projects is sufficient to outline the strategic objectives for IT. For organizations with a multi-year planning horizon and with an ambitious set of projects that support many parts of the business, a more methodical approach is in order. Take the prioritized project list from the previous step and lay out the expected accomplishments and key milestones over your planning horizon. Use Info-Tech's advanced tool, "IT Strategic Goals," to assist in documenting these objectives.
Larger enterprises with multiple IT organizations or "shadow" IT groups (staff who are doing IT-related activities but do not report into the IT organization) should consider using Info-Tech's advanced tool, "Irregular IT Staff Inventory."
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Step 2: Determine IT Initiative Priorities
So now you have a list of initiatives that can be linked back to the priorities of business units and the enterprise. However, most companies do not have unlimited funds and resources available to do these projects. During this step, you will prioritize IT initiatives based on strategic value.
Info-Tech Tip: There are many aspects to strategic value - competitive positioning, customer service, operational improvements, and risk mitigation to name a few. While important to consider, avoid becoming solely focused on financial return. Link initiatives back to the strategic objectives developed during the Business-IT Alignment program to help rank your initiatives.
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2.1 Prioritize Strategic IT Initiatives
Use Info-Tech's "Initiative Prioritization tool" and "Initiative Description Template" to guide the document and your prioritization efforts. Focus on comparing the strategic value proposed by IT initiatives and evaluate which ones offer the greatest strategic impact.
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- Project Prioritization: IT Shouldn't Shoulder the Load
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Step 3: Prepare Strategic Roadmap
You have determined the projects and initiatives that map to the priorities of the business. You have a good idea of the value these projects and initiatives will deliver and you have meshed them with projects that were already part of your agenda. Now you need to establish the timetable for your strategy; to determine when your organization will deliver its contribution to business objectives.
Info-Tech Tip: Avoid being too specific in setting milestone dates. Give yourself room to react to unanticipated events or demands.
Info-Tech Tip: Clearly outline your assumptions for each milestone you set - dependencies, effort, capacity, affordability and corporate timing. Circumstances change and you may need to change your commitments in response. Avoid getting caught in a situation where events beyond your control affect your ability to deliver, yet, business expectations remain the same.
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3.1 Identify Initiative Requisites and Estimate Milestones
For many organizations, determining the relative order in which projects and initiatives need to be done is straightforward.
If you have completed the three previous programs within the IT Strategy capability, you have three sets of opportunities defined. For organizations where there are many opportunities that may be inter-related, you may need to methodically identify these interdependencies. The intent of this step is to identify opportunities which are tightly related to one another and therefore should be combined into a single initiative.
For example, if implementing a mobility application for service technicians is a key application priority, selecting the mobile device is a key technical infrastructure dependency. These two opportunities may be candidates to combine into one project. Further, implementing this technology may require changes to IT management processes for service management and recovery which should also be included in the project.
The "Guide to Documenting Your Strategic Roadmap" is designed to walk you though the key stages of documenting your direction.
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Step 4: Determine Budget Impact
Your roadmap lays out your commitments to deliver technologies, solutions and services over the course of your strategic planning horizon. To meet those commitments, you may need additional financial and human resources. For many organizations, this may be straightforward. However, if your strategy is likely to require significant additional resources, consider following the advanced steps outlined here.
Compare your current capital and expense budget, and your headcount plans, to the resources required to deliver against your milestones. Forecast the financial and human resources required to meet your commitments. Now you need to establish the timetable for your strategy; to determine when your organization will deliver its contribution to business objectives.
Info-Tech Tip: Embarking on a strategic plan does not come without impact, whether it means an additional cost or simply adjustment of priorities. Avoid finding yourself on the hook for justifying why additional budget is required to meet your objectives. Keep the linkage explicit: funding requests to projects/initiatives to IT objectives to corporate priorities. In this way, you are not defending why you need the funds, only how much.
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4.1 Forecast Expenditures to Complete Strategic Initiatives
Once you know which budget categories will need to be increased, prepare rough estimates for what additional funds will be required each year of your planning horizon. Use Info-Tech's advanced tool, "IT Strategy Budget Impact," to assist with this step.
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- Capitalizing IT Costs Beneficial, But Don't Forget the Law
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4.2 Prepare Business Case for the IT Strategy
From the previous step, you now have a good idea of the expenditures required to deliver on your strategic objectives. The purpose of this step is to clarify the benefits for the company to support those additional expenditures. In previous steps and programs of the IT Strategy capability, you will have gathered information concerning the business value associated with each project and initiative in your strategy. Whether these are expressed as financial benefits or qualitative impact, summarize the benefits that the company will gain through the projects and initiatives that are part of your IT Strategy. Use Info-Tech's advanced tool, "Business Case Template," to help articulate the case for the additional IT expenditures.
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- A Transparent IT Budget Supports Organizational Growth
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Step 5: Communicate IT Strategic Roadmap and Obtain Approval
You have determined the role of IT in achieving the strategy of the corporation. You have outlined sets of projects and initiatives, and laid out a series of milestones.
Now is the time to communicate how your organization will contribute business value over the next few fiscal quarters. You will explain your organization's priorities and how your projects will support and enable strategic business objectives. During this step, your primary objective is to gain support and commitment from business management to your strategic roadmap.
Info-Tech Tip: By the time you get to a formal presentation, the meeting outcome needs to be certain. Pre-sell your messages to key stakeholders as you refine your messages. Seek coaching from several trusted colleagues to test your conclusions and your rationale.
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5.1 Prepare Communications
Use Info-Tech's "Strategic Plan Template" to help pull all the various parts of your IT Strategy together into a comprehensive document. In some cases, where a formal presentation might be required, use Info-Tech's tool, "Strategic Plan Presentation," as a guideline to structure your messages into a compelling presentation. In a large organization with many stakeholders, consider using Info-Tech's "Communications Plan Template," an advanced tool, to outline which messages to convey to which groups of stakeholders and the method by which to communicate.
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5.2 Meet with Key Stakeholders
Circle back with key executives and managers who participated during the early stages of your strategic planning process. Explain the IT organization's priorities, projects and initiatives, and target delivery dates. Be clear on the rationale for your roadmap by linking priorities to business objectives. Organizations with a complex IT strategy can consider Info-Tech's advanced template, "Executive Meeting Agenda," for suggestions on conducting these encounters.
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- Win Approval for IT Proposals
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Step 6: Maintain IT Strategic Roadmap
Business conditions change - a competitor's move may demand an immediate response, market expansion may encounter unexpected difficulties, retooling the company's distribution network may not yield expected results. Regardless of the reason, it is good practice to revisit and refresh your IT Strategic Roadmap from time to time.
Info-Tech Tip: Consider linking IT Strategic Roadmap maintenance with regular executive IT performance reviews, if your company has them. Many enterprises have executive reviews monthly or quarterly. If your company follows such a cycle, consider using this opportunity to confirm IT priorities - both those currently underway and those planned for the upcoming quarter.
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6.1 Refresh IT Strategic Roadmap
Refreshing your IT Strategic Roadmap is a process that can be like a compressed version of the full thing. Use Info-Tech's "IT Strategic Roadmap Maintenance Guidelines" to help determine when and how to maintain your IT Strategic Roadmap. For more complex strategies or where business conditions have changed extensively, use Info-Tech's advanced tool, "IT Strategy Alignment Model" to ensure that the IT organization's priorities remain aligned with those of the business.
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Strategy Roadmap FastTrack
Current IT Projects
Strategic Plan Presentation
