Define an IT Strategy & Roadmap 2015

The business does not view IT as a strategic partner. Many CIOs are not invited to participate in any of the organization-wide strategic planning and decision-making. The business isn’t interested in strategic IT planning.
The IT department does not have the expertise or capacity to develop an effective strategic plan for IT. IT strategy management requires a highly specialized skill set and resource commitment. It is rarely successful if approached as a side activity.
IT strategies tend to focus mainly on technology and fail to cover other areas. IT strategies are often “too technical” and written in a language the business cannot understand.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Make informed decisions based on data, not just intuition and assumptions.
Right-size your IT strategy to address the mandate.
Establish a strong commitment to execution.

Impact and Result

Articulating a clear IT strategy that aligns IT with business objectives is the most important activity a CIO can do for the IT department and organization.
The strategic planning exercise requires that the CIO review the business environment, assess the current state of IT, define a target state that is aligned with the organizational priorities, and focus efforts on IT initiatives that bring tangible benefits to the business.
The key is to work with the business when developing your IT strategic plan. A solid understanding of business needs combined with a mutual understanding of drivers and constraints will help you create a very effective strategy.
Creating and executing a successful IT strategy will help thrust IT into a leadership role, especially if the organization has not yet formulated a formal strategy of its own.

Define an IT Strategy & Roadmap 2015 Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why a data-driven, business-focused IT strategy is so important, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Define an IT Strategy and Roadmap – Executive Brief

1. Determine mandate and scope

Identify the need for and use of the IT strategy and determine a realistic scope.

2. Assess drivers and constraints

Review the business and external drivers and assess their impact on the business and IT.

3. Evaluate the current state of IT

Review the current state of IT and assess its impact on the business and IT.

4. Develop a target state vision

Determine and define an ideal end state for the IT department.

5. Define initiatives

Identify strategic initiatives that address the business and external requirements and the gaps between the current and target states of IT.

6. Build a roadmap

Build a roadmap to plan the execution of your strategy.

7. Execute the IT strategy

Optimize organizational capabilities to increase the likelihood of execution success.

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

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Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 7 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Call 1: Determine mandate and scope

Determine mandate; define scope; complete project charter.
Call 2: Assess drivers and constraints

Assess business drivers; assess external drivers; begin strategy map.
Call 3: Evaluate the current state of IT

Assess the holistic IT; assess the current state of IT for each focus area; identify performance data.
Call 4: Develop a target state vision

Identify target state; form target-state options; set target-state vision.
Call 5: Define the transition initiatives

Identify gaps; identify transition options; select transition initiatives.
Call 6: Build a roadmap

Determine business-driven priorities; plan to manage change and risk; finalize roadmap and secure approval.
Call 7: Execute your IT strategy

Discuss any key metrics; identify key execution challenges and possible mitigation techniques; identify key objectives for the next three months.