Build an Application Department Strategy | Info-Tech Research Group

Do not fill in this field

Enter no text in this field

Get Instant Access
to This Blueprint

Business Email

Full Name

Company

Phone

Job Title

Application delivery has modernized. There are increasing expectations on departments to deliver on organizational and product objectives with increasing velocity.
Application departments produce many diverse, divergent products, applications, and services with expectations of frequent updates and changes based on rapidly changing landscapes

Our Advice

Critical Insight

There is no such thing as a universal “applications department.” Unlike other domains of IT, there are no widely accepted frameworks that clearly outline universal best practices of application delivery and management.
Different software needs and delivery orientations demand a tailored structure and set of processes, especially when managing a mixed portfolio or multiple delivery methods.

Impact and Result

Understand what your department’s purpose is through articulating its strategy in three steps:

Determining your application department’s values, principles, and orientation.
Laying out the goals, objectives, metrics, and priorities of the department.
Building a communication plan to communicate your overall department strategy.

Build an Application Department Strategy Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should build an application department strategy, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Build an Application Department Strategy – Executive Brief

1. Take stock of who you are

Consider and record your department’s values, principles, orientation, and capabilities.

2. Articulate your strategy

Define your department’s strategy through your understanding of your department combined with everything that you do and are working to do.

3. Communicate your strategy

Communicate your department’s strategy to your key stakeholders.

Member Testimonials

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.

9.3/10

Overall Impact

$174,586

Average $ Saved

31

Average Days Saved

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Testimonial

State of South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications

Workshop

10/10

$35,749

20

Kieran skillfully allowed the conversation to continue naturally and then bring us back to the agenda. We walked away with a lot of direction for t... Read More

Regional Transportation District

Guided Implementation

10/10

$649K

100

Best experience was going through the exercise of pulling things out of my head and getting them documented in real time. I wasn't fully prepared ... Read More

Earlham College

Guided Implementation

7/10

$2,599

1

Good introductory call.

LGM Financial Services

Guided Implementation

10/10

$10,000

2

Rosens Diversified

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

N/A

We are still early on in the process, but very happy so far. Time and $ savings may come into play eventually too, just too early to quantify given... Read More

Los Angeles County Probation

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

N/A

Too early to provide feedback on question 2 and 3. I like the template and there is a plan to get to the end goal.

Load More Testimonials

Workshop: Build an Application Department Strategy

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Take Stock of Who You Are

The Purpose

Understand what makes up your application department beyond the applications and services provided.

Key Benefits Achieved

Articulating your guiding principles, values, capabilities, and orientation provides a foundation for expressing your department strategy.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Identify your team’s values and guiding principles.

A summary of your department’s values and guiding principles

1.2

Define your department’s orientation.

A clear view of your department’s orientation and supporting capabilities

Module 2: Articulate Your Strategy

The Purpose

Lay out all the details that make up your application department strategy.

Key Benefits Achieved

A completed application department strategy canvas containing everything you need to communicate your strategy.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Write your application department vision statement.

Your department vision

2.2

Define your application department goals and metrics.

Your department’s goals and metrics that contribute to achieving your department’s vision

2.3

Specify your department capabilities and orientation.

Your department’s capabilities and orientation

2.4

Prioritize what is most important to your department.

A prioritized roadmap for your department

Module 3: Communicate Your Strategy

The Purpose

Lay out your strategy’s communication plan.

Key Benefits Achieved

Your application department strategy presentation ready to be presented to your stakeholders.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Identify your stakeholders.

List of prioritized stakeholders you want to communicate with

3.2

Develop a communication plan.

A plan for what to communicate to each stakeholder

3.3

Wrap-up and next steps

Communication is only the first step – what comes next?

Build an Application Department Strategy visualization

Delivering value starts with embracing what your department can do.

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Table of Contents

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 9 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation 1: Take stock of who you are

Call 1: Discuss Info-Tech’s perspective and kick off the initiative.
Call 2: Talk about the importance of values and principles and how they apply to you.
Call 3: Consider your department’s orientation.

Guided Implementation 2: Articulate your strategy

Call 1: Understand the department strategy canvas and the significance of its elements.
Call 2: Understand the goals, vision, and metrics.
Call 3: Determine the highest priority items for your department.

Guided Implementation 3: Communicate your strategy

Call 1: Understand stakeholder analysis and its role in your communication plan.
Call 2: Lay out your communication plan.
Call 3: Reflection and wrap-up.

Author

Ari Glaizel

Contributors

Saeed Khan, Founder, Transformation Labs
Alison (Ali) Cox, Lead Expert – Agile + Business Analysis, Netmind US
Ryland Leyton, Author and Agile & BA Capability Lead
Chad Cross, Regional Lead, Applied Innovation, Cognizant Microsoft Business Group

Search Code: 96997
Last Revised: May 11, 2021

×

Are you sure you’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle?

Get the end-user feedback you need to start your application project.

Visit our IT Cost Optimization Center
Over 100 analysts waiting to take your call right now: 1-519-432-3550 x2019