Get Your Tech Body Fit (Step 1. Warming Up)

Part 1 of 4 in a series

Does the fitness of your tech body, that being the people, process, and products of technology in your organization, worry you each and every year?

Whenever I feed my technology development budget, it demands more and more resources!  Why do I keep feeding this slothful, greedy beast? What I really want is a slimmer, sleeker business service tuned to my needs and values!

The topic is astoundingly popular and is the core problem addressed by various information technology management frameworks. Tech managers recognize the benefits of implementing IT frameworks including standardization and formalization of process and technique. Practitioners reimagine the business’ technology services in the context of its strategic direction.

But what if the emaciated state of tech in your organization seems too big to succeed? Having a long-term tech fitness goal that can be delivered through COBIT or ITIL implementation is noble but it is not necessarily the way to start. Such an initiative requires solid backing of a skeptical upper management and even more investments. That’s like telling someone who wants to improve their wellness that they can keep eating or smoking and still get fit!

What I’ve never seen are simple hints and rules of thumb to test how efficiently tech dollars are being invested. With some idea of the scope and level of efficiency, business leaders can make smart and value-saving decisions about the state of technology in their company. Throw on some Dri-Fit and let’s get your tech on a basic fitness program.

Warming Up

A really great way to get ready for a workout is by walking around your organization. Talk to everyone accessible to get an honest appraisal of how well technology is serving it’s primary customers; in case you need a refresher, that’s everyone else in the company.

We’re not ready to start yet. Pick up the pace of investigation and figure out if the picture meets the objectives you’ve established.

• Are there indications of shadow IT making up for your out-of-shape approach to their department’s particular problems?
• Is your own process overweight with several solutions for the same type of problem?
• Are you and your staff lazily implementing another department’s solution package without defining the problem and the context within which a solution should be formed?

A “YES” answer to any of these means you’ve got some work to do. Next, we’ll move to strengthen that tech body and get you focused on business services.

Next up – Get Your Tech Body Fit (Step 2. Strengthen the Core)

After that – Get Your Tech Body Fit (Step 3. Build Endurance)

Finally – Get Your Tech Body Fit (Step 4. Time for Recovery)

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Get Your Tech Body Fit (Step 2. Strengthen Your Core) ›

Tagged with: business strategy, business value, organizational change, shadow IT, technology management, technology service
Posted in Technology Management