Build an IT Strategy for Small Enterprises

Get in front of your workload with a right-sized and business-aligned IT strategy.

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Contributors

Ken Piddington, Chief Information Officer and Executive Advisor, MRE Consulting
Kyle Saverance, Chief Information Officer, Coker College

Your Challenge

Small enterprise (SE) IT departments are so overburdened with managing the day-to-day that strategic thinking is an afterthought. 69% of SE IT departments surveyed claim their IT strategies were less than adequate.
IT struggles to communicate its current or potential support of business goals. 41% of SE business leaders feel that their goals are unsupported by IT.
All IT departments are limited by their capacity, but SEs feels this constraint more than their MLE counterparts. Necessary strategic initiatives are neglected if their value and risk doesn’t translate to business terms.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Don’t build a strategy to appease executives or view it as a request for permission. You’re making the case for the enhancements to the whole organization’s capabilities through the technology you deliver and operate.
Business stakeholders cannot translate how IT initiatives will help achieve their objectives or mitigate risk. Explain IT’s role in value creation and share the ownership of tech risk.
SEs invariably have less capacity, talent, and tools to meet a similar demand to MLEs. Prioritization is imperative to success, as is conveying how all gaps impact the business.

Impact and Result

Clearly communicate to business executives how IT will support the organization’s key objectives and initiatives using the Small Enterprise Executive Presentation Template.
Use Info-Tech’s Initiative Prioritization Tool to help make project decisions in a holistic manner that allows for the selection of the most valuable initiatives to become part of the IT strategic roadmap.
Demonstrate to business executives and the IT organization how the IT strategy was created using Info-Tech’s Small Enterprise IT Strategy Template.

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should create a well-defined IT strategy, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Build an IT Strategy for Small Enterprises – Executive Brief

1. Identify the target state

Identify the IT organization target state using the business context to ensure IT supports business needs.

2. Assess the current state

Conduct an assessment of the IT organization current state to understand where IT currently stands.

3. Bridge the gap and create the strategy

Analyze the difference between the current state and target state on a capability perspective, then brainstorm initiatives to bridge the gap and secure approval for the IT strategy.

Guided Implementations

This guided implementation is a six call advisory process.

Guided Implementation #1 - Identify the target state

Call #1 - Identify the business context status and IT implications.

Call #2 - Create components of the IT target state.

Guided Implementation #2 - Assess the current state

Call #1 - Assess current IT capabilities.

Call #2 - Examine additional factors impacting IT and identify the current IT maturity.

Guided Implementation #3 - Bridge the gap and create the strategy

Call #1 - Assess the gaps to the target state.

Call #2 - Refine the communication materials and plan.

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: Identify IT Implications

The Purpose

Conduct analysis and facilitate discussions to uncover what business needs mean for IT.

Key Benefits Achieved

An understanding of what business needs mean for IT.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Review the business context.

1.2

Review links between business capabilities/business initiatives with business goals.

Links between business capabilities/business initiatives with business goals

1.3

Identify IT implications from the documented business context.

1.4

Group the IT implications into themes from seven perspectives.

Implications on IT from the business context

Module 2: Define the IT Target State

The Purpose

Define goals and target state maturity to get a sense of where IT needs to go. Clearly understand where IT needs to go by defining the target state IT capabilities.

Key Benefits Achieved

Identifies and documents, at a high level, IT’s target state. Additionally, the list of target state capabilities defines in more detail and clarity how the target state will look.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Define IT goals.

IT goals

2.2

Determine the IT goal alignment to business goals.

2.3

Indicate the target state IT maturity.

2.4

Identify target state IT capabilities required to achieve IT goals.

2.5

Consolidate target IT capability map.

Target state IT capabilities

Module 3: Assess the IT Current State

The Purpose

Gauge where the IT organization currently stands to get a baseline so that gaps can be identified between the current and target state.

Key Benefits Achieved

Provides an assessment of the current state in terms of capabilities, planed initiatives, factors impacting IT, budget, and current state maturity.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Review diagnostic results.

3.2

Assess current IT capabilities.

Documented current IT capabilities and the gap to the target state

3.3

Conduct IT SWOT analysis.

IT SWOT analysis

3.4

Identify current state maturity.

3.5

Assess the gaps between current- and target-state capabilities.

Overall IT capabilities gap analysis

Module 4: Bridge the Gap and Create the Strategy

The Purpose

Identify the gaps between the current and target states and brainstorm initiatives to address the gaps. Set out next steps to reach IT strategy approval.

Key Benefits Achieved

Identify the projects needed to reach the target state from the current state.
Link how the projects support IT capabilities, IT goals, and the business context.

Activities

Outputs

4.1

Map key current IT initiatives to IT and business goals.

Documented relationship between IT goals, capabilities, and initiatives.

4.2

Brainstorm initiatives to address the gaps in capabilities.

List of new initiatives to reach the target state

4.3

Create initiative profiles.

IT initiative profiles

4.4

Prioritize IT initiatives.

IT strategy prioritization matrix

4.5

Create roadmaps for key IT initiatives.

IT strategy roadmaps

4.6

Summarize the highlights of the IT strategy.

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

Public Utility Commission State Of Oregon

Guided Implementation

10/10

$2,647

City Of St Catharines

Guided Implementation

10/10

$50,000

The expertise of George was very evident and working with him is always a pleasure.

Sioux Lookout Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

Euclid Systems Corporation

Guided Implementation

10/10

$6,618

George was very flexible. Good experience. The method of walking through the spreadsheet template simplifies the process. Nice.

Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP

Guided Implementation

8/10

$5,000

City of Walla Walla

Guided Implementation

10/10

$13,236

Prince Resorts Hawaii

Guided Implementation

9/10

$13,236

Denver Zoological Foundation

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

Ryan did an excellent job facilitating the conversation. Tough part is many of these tools are geared for much larger organizations. That said, ryan did a great job streamlining the tools to work for an organization our size.

Westoba Credit Union Limited

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

No idea how to estimate the impact yet as I am still working through it all!?

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

Guided Implementation

8/10

$4,000

Consistent calls and support to keep the project moving forward, flexible with schedule and pace that had been changed due to our staffing changes, good insights provided. The worst was when a call was on a bad line/audio which made it somewhat difficult to hear the person's voice.

Hamilton Public Library

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

I am still working through the guided implementation. So I don't have a response at the moment

Quartz Health Solutions, Inc.

Guided Implementation

8/10

$6,618

Gaining a different perspective was helpful as well as better understanding what is available to me as a customer.

Tci, LLC

Guided Implementation

5/10

N/A

City of Brookings

Guided Implementation

6/10

N/A

Ryan Welham did a wonderful job explaining the first phase and provided me with the guidance I needed to keep this project on track. I appreciate the push!

The Research Institute of the MUHC

Guided Implementation

6/10

$1,000

Good overview of key points to consider and best approaches for developing my strategic plan. Good industry trend and CxO-CIO alignment strategy Ryan Welham is knowledgeable and competent, he was considerate and clear. The session went fast, even too fast. I would have liked to receive the deck more in advance of the call to have time to prepare myself. The session would have been more productive.

Charlotte County Sheriff's Office

Guided Implementation

8/10

$6,618

Excellent roadmap to create meaningful deliverables. Ryan was very informative and receptive to my questions.

Clasen Quality Chocolate, Inc.

Guided Implementation

6/10

N/A

Ryan is a good communicator. Content was a lot to absorb in that period of time, so I will have to go over it more. I wondering if weekly calls of a half-hour would be more beneficial than 1.5 hours. Even two 45 minutes versus one longer session might allow for more absorbency and retention. Looking forward to knocking out some of these tasks to get confirm my direction.

Moorings Park Inc

Guided Implementation

6/10

$6,618

Best: Good research material and well prepare documentation. Easy access to additional topics and the personnel is very helpful.

Addax Petroleum

Guided Implementation

6/10

$6,618

N/A

Was surprised we were qualified as SME as Addax is a $1bn annual turn-over company and Sinopec is No 4 in Fortune 500. Friendly conversation + methodology sounds applicable for measuring business value and stakeholder satisfaction

City Of St Catharines

Guided Implementation

6/10

$20,000

N/A

Excellent presentation and explanation provided by Ryan Welham

SIM Group

Guided Implementation

6/10

N/A

Analyst adjusted to my content and timeline fluidly. Content was on point. Next steps were clear. Analyst was clear, concise and effective.

Snavely Forest Products Inc.

Guided Implementation

6/10

N/A

Hard to judge how much impact, and money saved (if any), building an IT strategy for small enterprises will have at this point. Time will tell.

Moore Norman Technology Center

Guided Implementation

8/10

$2,647

N/A

Fraser Valley Regional Library

Guided Implementation

6/10

$5,000

George is the best, not only is he an IT person but he also has a library degree and so really understands our situation.

Bristol Bay Industrial

Guided Implementation

8/10

$13,236

N/A

A good experience all around

Hope Global

Guided Implementation

8/10

$13,236

N/A

ServicePower

Guided Implementation

6/10

N/A

Survey questions don't seem to be issued to early. Until the IT strategy is underway and projects begin to implement it's impossible to answer some of these questions accurately

Greater Sudbury Hydro Plus

Guided Implementation

3/10

N/A

Informative, but I felt a little unprepared (I should have reviewed the slides more prior to the call)

Professional Engineers of Ontario

Guided Implementation

8/10

$1,000

Cassandra was wonderful explaining the information and guiding me through the process. I feel that I have a handle on what I need to do for the next steps and that she is there for any questions or assistance that I need.

CarVal Investors

Guided Implementation

6/10

N/A

This was a great experience. It told how the different parts work together and how we need to use the data to bring it all together. For me, I would have rather had the presenter control the slides through a webex vs following along on my own.

Search Code: 77678
Published: May 29, 2015
Last Revised: February 27, 2020

TAGS:

Small Enterprises, target state, current state, visualize, capabilities, implications framework, IT strategy roadmap, vision statement, mission statement

Build an IT Strategy for Small Enterprises

Contributors

Your Challenge

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Impact and Result

Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

1. Identify the target state

2. Assess the current state

3. Bridge the gap and create the strategy

Guided Implementations

Call #1 - Identify the business context status and IT implications.

Call #2 - Create components of the IT target state.

Call #1 - Assess current IT capabilities.

Call #2 - Examine additional factors impacting IT and identify the current IT maturity.

Call #1 - Assess the gaps to the target state.

Call #2 - Refine the communication materials and plan.

Onsite Workshop

Book Your Workshop

Module 1: Identify IT Implications

The Purpose

Key Benefits Achieved

Activities

Outputs

Module 2: Define the IT Target State

The Purpose

Key Benefits Achieved

Activities

Outputs

Module 3: Assess the IT Current State

The Purpose

Key Benefits Achieved

Activities

Outputs

Module 4: Bridge the Gap and Create the Strategy

The Purpose

Key Benefits Achieved

Activities

Outputs

Member Testimonials

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Testimonial

Company

Partner With Us

Become a Member

Member Resources

How We Deliver