Build an Application Rationalization Framework

Manage your application portfolio to minimize risk and maximize value.

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Your Challenge

Almost two thirds of organizations report that they have too many or far too many applications due to sprawl from poorly managed portfolios, and application managers are spending too much time supporting non-critical applications and not enough time on their most vital ones.
The necessary pieces of rationalization are rarely in one place. You need to assemble the resources to collect vital rationalization criteria.
There is a lack of standard practices to define the business value that the applications in a portfolio provide, and without value rationalization, decisions are misaligned to business needs.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

There is no “one size fits all.” Applying a rigid approach to rationalization with inflexible inputs can delay or prevent you from realizing value. Play to your strengths and build a framework that aligns to your goals and limitations.

Impact and Result

Define the roles, responsibilities, and outputs for application rationalization within your application portfolio management practice.
Build a tailored application rationalization framework (ARF) aligned with your motivations, goals, and limitations.
Apply the various application assessments to produce the information that your dispositions will be based on.
Initiate an application portfolio roadmap that will showcase your rationalization decisions to key stakeholders.

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should rationalize your applications and why you need a framework that is specific to your goals and limitations, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Build an Application Rationalization Framework – Executive Brief

1. Lay your foundations

Define the motivations, goals, and scope of your rationalization effort. Build the action plan and engagement tactics to roll out the rationalization activities.

2. Plan your application rationalization framework

Understand the core assessments performed in application rationalizations. Define your application rationalization framework and degree of rigor in applying these assessments based on your goals and limitations.

3. Test and adapt your application rationalization framework

Test your application rationalization framework using Info-Tech’s tool set on your first iteration. Perform a retrospective and adapt your framework based on that experience and outcomes.

4. Initiate your roadmap

Review, determine, and prioritize your dispositions to ensure they align to your goals. Initiate an application portfolio roadmap to showcase your rationalization decisions to key stakeholders.

Guided Implementations

This guided implementation is a twelve call advisory process.

Guided Implementation #1 - Lay your foundations

Call #1 - Define the motivations and goals for rationalization and the metrics to gauge success.

Call #2 - Define “application” in your organization.

Call #3 - Identify rationalization activities, outputs, and the core APM team who will execute them.

Call #4 - Identify your first iteration.

Guided Implementation #2 - Plan and test your ARF

Call #1 - If required, adapt Info-Tech’s dispositions.

Call #2 - Define an initial AFR.

Call #3 - Understand how to use Info-Tech’s Application Rationalization Tool.

Call #4 - Apply the application assessments for business value, TCO, and technical health.

Call #5 - Perform a retrospective for your first iteration, and adapt AFR.

Guided Implementation #3 - Initiate your roadmap

Call #1 - Determine and prioritize your dispositions.

Call #2 - Roadmap your dispositions.

Call #3 - Build an action plan for next iterations and ongoing activities.

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Application Portfolio Management

Support your ongoing business objectives with a rationalized application portfolio while remaining aligned with your current and future technology needs.
This course makes up part of the Applications Certificate.

Course information:

Title: Application Portfolio Management
Number of Course Modules: 4
Estimated Time to Complete: 1-1.5 hours
Featured Analysts:
Ben Mackle, Senior Research Analyst, Application Practice
Allison Straker, Research Director, Application Practice
Now Playing: Academy: Application Portfolio Management | Executive Brief

Book Your Workshop

Onsite 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 onsite 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: Lay Your Foundations

The Purpose

Define the goals, scope, roles, and responsibilities of your rationalization effort.

Key Benefits Achieved

Defined motivations, long and short-term goals, and metrics for your rationalization effort.
Definition of application.
Defined roles and responsibilities for your rationalization effort.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Define motivations and goals for rationalization.

Goals, motivations, and metrics for rationalizations

1.2

Define “application.”

Definition of “Application”

1.3

Identify team and responsivities.

1.4

Adapt target dispositions.

Defined dispositions

1.5

Initiate Application Rationalization Framework (ARF).

Defined core APM team and handoffs

Module 2: Assess Business Value

The Purpose

Review and adapt Info-Tech’s methodology and toolset.
Assess business value of applications.

Key Benefits Achieved

Tailored application rationalization framework
Defined business value drivers
Business value scores for applications

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Review Application Rationalization Tool.

Application Rationalization Tool

2.2

Review focused apps, capabilities, and areas of functionality overlap.

List of functional overlaps

2.3

Define business value drivers.

Weighed business value drivers

2.4

Determine the value score of focused apps.

Value scores for focused application
Value Calculator

Module 3: Gather Application Information

The Purpose

Continue to review and adapt Info-Tech’s methodology and toolset.

Key Benefits Achieved

Tailored application rationalization framework
TCO values for applications
Technical health review of applications
Recommended dispositions for applications

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Determine TCO for focused apps.

TCO of focused applications
TCO Calculator

3.2

Determine technical health of focused apps.

Technical health of focused apps

3.3

Review APA.

3.4

Review recommended dispositions.

Defined rationalization criteria
Recommended disposition for focused apps

3.5

Perform retrospective of assessments and adapt ARF.

Module 4: Gather, Assess, and Select Dispositions

The Purpose

Review and perform high-level prioritization of dispositions.
Build a roadmap for dispositions.
Determine ongoing rationalization and application portfolio management activities.

Key Benefits Achieved

Application Portfolio Roadmap
Prioritized Dispositions

Activities

Outputs

4.1

Determine dispositions.

4.2

Prioritize dispositions.

Disposition Prioritization Tool

4.3

Initiate portfolio roadmap.

Application portfolio roadmap

4.4

Build an action plan for next iterations and ongoing activities.

Action plan for next iterations and ongoing activities

4.5

Finalize ARF.

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.

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Testimonial

Cengage Learning

Guided Implementation

7/10

N/A

Dollar General

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

Uganda Revenue Authority

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

Best Part:Clarity of content. We get to do things in a more systematic and professional way. Worst Part: We have been doing things the wrong way but we have learnt alot from the call.

Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

Sedgwick Cms

Workshop

8/10

N/A

The best part was having an experience facilitator (Randy) asking us (Sedgwick IT and Business) questions regarding the "Why" of modernizing. Randy helped us look at alternatives that we normally would just discount due to our "competitive advantage" with our outdated system. The worst part was probably that we didn't get a chance during the workshop to see the data in the different template tools and review it in person with Randy. That was due to time constraints but I would recommend maybe changing the agenda to allow for someone to input the tool more real time so there is something tangible by the end of the workshop.

Real Estate Council of Ontario 1

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

Bob Barker Company, Inc.

Guided Implementation

10/10

$13,236

Best parts - Working with your Team! Sanchia is great! Worst parts - none that I can think of.

CBRE Pte Ltd.

Guided Implementation

10/10

$1.32M

120

University of Ottawa

Guided Implementation

8/10

$2,000

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

Kick off meeting was great. A follow up meeting will be held with a focus on software management.

Commonwealth of VA, State Corporation Commission

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

Virginia Department of Transportation

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

Southern District Health Board

Guided Implementation

7/10

N/A

OGx Consulting

Guided Implementation

10/10

$1.32M

Excellent!!!

Capital Insurance Group

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

It was a good introduction to the thought process.

Menzies Distribution

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

SECURA Insurance Companies

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

The research Ben did and the information he provided to me will help me narrow a long list of vendors in order to make a quicker recommendation to leadership.

First National Bank

Guided Implementation

8/10

$66,183

Ben had different material ready to address the questions around the topic and was able to answer te questions. Not having a premium account to get access to the templates

Oxbow Carbon LLC

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

Advanced Drainage Systems

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

Norbord Inc.

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

Multnomah County

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

Guided Implementation

10/10

$33,091

Andrew is extremely knowledgeable.

County Of Wright

Guided Implementation

7/10

N/A

Lowe's Companies

Guided Implementation

10/10

$66,183

Already bakes presentations!, Ben did a great job in presenting the mew materials

SUNY New Paltz

Guided Implementation

8/10

$1,323

City of Virginia Beach

Workshop

7/10

$132K

120

City of Toronto

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

It was great to see an update to the framework which addressed most of the issues I had, this will be extremely valuable going forward. Well explained and questions answered. The tour was great too!

Statistics New Zealand

Guided Implementation

6/10

N/A