Preparing for Technology Convergence in Manufacturing
Leave the past behind and build a culture of collaboration.
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Contributors
- Richard Lambert, Manager of Information Technology, Loewen Windows and Doors
- Steve Harper, Vice President of Information Technology, LGI, Inc.
- Several anonymous contributors also provided their insights in this research
Your Challenge
- Information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) teams have a long history of misalignment and poor communication.
- Stakeholder expectations and technology convergence create the need to leave the past behind and build a culture of collaboration.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- IT/OT convergence drives true business advantages. Better decisions, increased flexibility, reduced costs, and focused innovation are only a few of the benefits that come from successful IT/OT convergence.
- Maximize the experience and skills of the IT and OT teams while leveraging synergies and eliminating waste and duplication.
- The industry is changing and the IT and OT teams need to work together to lead the way, demonstrating collaboration and operational value.
Impact and Result
- Build and deliver an IT update that focuses on what is most important.
- Achieve the buy-in you require while driving business value.
- Gain clarity on your scope, goals, and outcomes.
- Validate IT’s role as a strategic business partner.
- Tear down silos by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and potential synergies between the IT and OT teams.
- Gain clarity on the current state and target state of IT/OT convergence maturity within the organization.
- Build effectiveness by defining roles and accountabilities within the IT and OT teams.
- Identify risks and benefits related to IT/OT convergence, guaranteeing the right balance.
- Ensure success by building a convergence plan with detailed initiative profiles.
- Prepare for plan approval, while developing clear communication and plan refreshes as needed.
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our Executive Brief to find out why IT/OT convergence is essential to drive business value in a quickly changing industry. Review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand how we can support you in completing this project.
1. Determine current state
Build clarity around the current state of convergence within the organization. Understand where the strengths are and how to build synergies.
2. Define target state
Prioritize the necessary tasks related to increasing the level of IT/OT convergence maturity within the organization while building clarity around roles and responsibilities.
3. Build a convergence plan
Build a convergence plan that closes the gaps between your current and target states. Define the necessary steps for approval, communication, and refresh of the plan.
Guided Implementations
This guided implementation is a twelve call advisory process.
Guided Implementation #1 - Determine current state
Call #1 - Drive clarity around the current IT/OT landscape.
Call #2 - Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and potential between the IT and OT teams.
Call #3 - Define roles and responsibilities.
Call #4 - Identify risks and benefits and prioritize.
Guided Implementation #2 - Define target state
Call #1 - Prioritize tasks related to IT/OT convergence maturity.
Call #2 - Determine target state accountabilities and responsibilities.
Call #3 - Review action areas related to IT/OT convergence RACI.
Guided Implementation #3 - Build a convergence plan
Call #1 - Create a prioritized list of initiative profiles.
Call #2 - Build a convergence plan with accountabilities, budget, and timing.
Call #3 - Prepare for plan approval.
Call #4 - Create a stakeholder communication plan.
Call #5 - Create a refresh 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: Determine Current State
The Purpose
- Determine the current state IT and OT landscape.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A clear understanding and analysis of the IT and OT current state.
Activities
Outputs
Current state evaluation – SWOT, synergies, IT/OT convergence maturity.
- Completed self-evaluation and maturity determination
- IT SWOT analysis
- OT SWOT analysis
- Review of synergies
Identify current state roles and responsibilities.
- Current state RACI chart
Identify current state risks and potential benefits.
- Prioritized risks
- Prioritized benefits
Module 2: Define Target State
The Purpose
- Define the target state accountabilities and maturity.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Defined target state for IT/OT convergence.
Activities
Outputs
Target state maturity analysis.
- IT/OT convergence maturity task prioritization
Target state roles and responsibilities and action areas.
- Target state RACI chart
- Target state action areas
Module 3: Build a Convergence Plan
The Purpose
- Build a convergence plan.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Completed IT/OT convergence plan.
Activities
Outputs
Define and prioritize initiatives.
- Prioritized list of initiative profiles
- Convergence plan with accountabilities, budget, and timing
Prepare for approval, communication, and plan refresh.
- Approval plan
- Stakeholder communication plan
- Refresh plan
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.
