it organizations success factors vicki van alphen
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Observations about successful IT organizations: an outside-in perspective Vicki van AlphenBusiness Executive Who Speaks the Language of IThttps://www.linkedin.com/in/vickivanalphenwww.Twitter.com/vickiva19Email: [email protected]
A bit about my background:I have always had roles working directly with clients in IT organizations, including:• Ernst & Young Management Consulting (now
Capgemini), where I led program management efforts and created processes to support a new client business unit;
• SmithBucklin, where I honed my leadership and management skills within a “startup” business unit and as a staff director of education and programs for Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG), the firm’s largest account at that time;
• Gartner Executive Programs, where I currently have the pleasure of advising CIO / CXO clients to help contribute to their success as leaders.
IT organizations are like snowflakes – each unique / none exactly the same, but…
…when you zoom out, and look at the forest, rather than the trees, you see common traits that lead to successful IT organizations.These common attributes include the following:
Enterprise goals are the common foundation for everything – including IT goals and the IT strategy.
Clear line of sight between IT strategies and the performance goals of individual team members• Indicator of when this is working
successfully: When any member of the IT organization is asked “what do you do?” – their first response is related to fulfilling the mission of the enterprise, rather than their individual function. • For example, in a healthcare
delivery organization: “I save lives” versus “I am a DBA / Developer / Project Manager, etc.”.
Governance – strategic decision-making to ensure scarce resources are optimized• At the most basic level,
governance is keeping everyone in the appropriate swim lanes and playing the right role in the decision-making process.• Successful IT organizations are
able to engage the highest levels of leadership (CXO’s) in governance and consequently, receive higher returns on their investments in technology.
Portfolio management – creating clear line of sight between IT activity and enterprise goals / strategies
• This is even more critical in an age of increasing complexities and demands.• Requires resources with strong
people skills, including the ability to lead via influence, in order to keep everything moving in the right direction and ensure that IT resources are being utilized to drive business value.
Collaboration – a deliberate, and constant effort• With increasing complexities (i.e.
multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, innovation demands, M&A activity), this collaboration requires proactive care and feeding.• Must have people with the right
skillsets to constantly “grease the wheels” and ensure that everything is operating cohesively.
Mitigating the “blank space” between business processes, technologies, and people• Even with the best laid plans,
there are inevitably places where things don’t all come together as intended.• Need resources to serve as the
“organizational glue” to ensure that goals are realized. (These roles often have various titles including: Business Relationship Manager, Business Analyst, Business Champion, etc.).
Being on “speed dial” for key leaders – whether for big problems or big opportunities• In this digital age, issues are more
visible than ever, and opportunities to leverage technology arise quickly (and sometimes are executed without the involvement of corporate IT).• Thus, it is critical that members of
the IT organization are able to effectively engage with leaders throughout the organization – and to get them to share the “real stuff.”
Last, but certainly not least: Making organizational change management a top priority• Perhaps the biggest indicator of
the success of an initiative, and also the biggest source of risk – is helping the human beings through the process of understanding what’s different and how they will be affected.• It’s especially critical for leaders to
convey the reasons for a change in terms that are meaningful to the various individual stakeholders.
Intent of sharing this content – to spark ideas and discussion......
....and to illustrate the type of things I have the pleasure of helping my clients with in an advisory capacity:
• Focusing on the strategic aspects of the CIO role.• Helping leaders self-realize what is
truly most important.• Capitalizing on the CIO’s unique “birds
eye view” to identify patterns and opportunities across the enterprise.• Assessing how the IT organization is
viewed by the rest of the organization, and how to evolve IT to the maturity level required for enterprise success.
Please feel free to reach out with your feedback, ideas, questions, or if I can help you!
Vicki van AlphenBusiness Executive Who Speaks the Language of IT
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickivanalphen
www.Twitter.com/vickiva19
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (312) 526-0205