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Build an Application Department Strategy

Delivering value starts with embracing what your department can do.

  • 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.

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.

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.

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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
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