Advice Line | Bob Lewis | InfoWorld | Developing an IT strategy | June 27, 2007 05:02 AM

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Developing an IT strategy

June 27, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Developing an IT strategy

Dear Bob ...

My boss asked me to develop an 'IT Strategy' for our company. I don't really have an idea of how to start and what to include.

Can you give some advice and pointers?

- Strategizing

Dear Strategizing ...

I thought you knew - you bring in an outside consultant like me, pay a few bucks (well, more than a few) and we walk you through it.

There really is an advantage to bringing in outside help if you've never done this sort of thing before - no matter how much book-learning you acquire, some of what's required is hard to figure out without actual experience. Not everything is a purely analytical process. For some of it you have to squint at the data, turn it in several directions, and try out a number of different scenarios as part of figuring out what it all means.

If you're looking for a good book on the subject, Anita Cassidy's A Practical Guide to Information Systems Strategic Planning is better than most.

In any event, there are quite a few different formats for an IT strategy. Ours begins with a "situation analysis" - an account of what's working well and what needs improvement based on what the business currently requires. We frame that up using our "IT Effectiveness Framework" to categorize the issues.

Next, we look at the business strategy and current portfolio of major business initiatives ... including our best shot at the missing ones, which should be there except that nobody put them on the list for one reason or another.

From that list we extract the new capabilities IT will need to support the initiatives.

Finally, we define internal IT performance improvement initiatives to add the new capabilities to IT.

Whatever framework you decide to use, and whether or not you decide to bring in outside help, the most important part of an IT strategy is that you make it actionable - that you put the results on a timeline and reserve the staff time necessary to turn it into reality.

If you don't, you'll produce a lovely document that will sit on a shelf, gathering dust until you decide you need to put the three-ring binder to more productive use.

- Bob

Posted by Bob Lewis on June 27, 2007 05:02 AM

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We are a small nonprofit and are receiving a grant to develop an IT strategy. I have about 15 years of solid IT experience and have a dangerous habit of trying always to do everything myself.

Well, the granter insisted that we work with a consultant who they themselves hired for the purpose, and I have learned my lesson.

This guy has, in a few short visits (so far) helped us really narrow down what it is we need to be focusing on. Of course, the real job (had it not been done for us) would have been to find the right consultant.

But in general, I am coming to understand that appropriate experience and expertise are worth paying something for.

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