Strategic questions that every IT leader should do

Increasingly, economic activities depend on technology. But most organizations still fails to take advantage of the various opportunities that are available from the IT field, in particular with regard to improve processes and increase profit margins.

Clearly, there is a gap between the infrastructure available and what the company needs to do to turn it into something that draws real business benefits.

So, before making the IT strategy, the CIO should ask some basic questions.

1. The IT strategy is too generic?

The information technology department can hardly meet only one type of need, customer profile or market segment. The objectives of the area tend to be more comprehensive, but no one should forget to meet the particular demands of each area.

Most successful companies have learned that a single model hardly meets all the needs. IT managers, in turn, should better consider the unique needs of each business unit that makes up the company in order to build a strategy that meets the best possible throughout the organization and the particularities of each department.

2. The strategy is aimed at the market?

The internal design of the IT area almost never represent the best way to start designing a new strategy for the information technology department. It is a cliché to say that you can not think about changing results doing things the same way forever. So worth the CIO out of their environment, in order to better understand market needs in the company in which it acts is inserted.

Therefore, in addition to talk with senior executives, we must listen to people in the industry, in order to detect demands and offer ideas that can make real difference to the operation.

3. The strategy will be clearly communicated?

The annual plans of IT area of business are usually understood by key company executives, who are concerned about the expected return. But between the presentation of the project and the implementation of that there is a tendency to be a communication breakdown.

To avoid this, the first step is to create a document with all the detailed IT strategy and that can be shared throughout the company. Thus, anyone in the organization can discuss new policies, technologies, methods and other possible changes.

4. The strategy is realistic?

When writing the annual plan, the CIO should include all necessary resources to achieve the goals. This is because a new strategy may even seem promising, but it depends on practical issues, including financial resources, technical expertise and technologies. In addition, any project must be aligned with the objectives and culture of the company.

5. The strategy can improve the day to day operations?

Any new plan must meet operational needs and business goals of the company. Otherwise, it’s a waste to spend efforts and resources to formulate new policies, technologies acquire, implement plans or seek knowledge.

If at the end of the day, the designed objectives do not result in more efficient operating procedures or generate more value, worth looking into if it is not time to change the strategy.

6. The strategy has adequate support in terms of systems?

When we talk about support systems, the term refers to all resources required for the management of initiatives and the resources involved. After all, build a project step-by-step is the most important factor to ensure that the action is in line with strategy.

Remember that in most projects involving changes, failure is linked to problems with the people involved. In other words, success depends on the manager and his team work on an adjusted basis and fully within the scope.

7. The strategy is adapted to changes in the business environment?

The planning must be dynamic enough to meet the new challenges of the company. In no time the strategy should become an obstacle for the company to seek new business or improve their systems.

Full article: http://cio.com.br/

Comments are closed.