How do you manage complex IT strategy in a volatile market?

I have seen many organizations focus on how IT can support the business in cutting costs, as opposed to helping to create value. Don’t just think about how IT can deliver cost savings, think about the goals and priorities of the business and how IT can deliver on those. This requires a clear understanding of the business and how it creates value.

Having steered multiple IT projects, I've seen firsthand the pitfalls of a misaligned IT business strategy. In my experience, proactive communication bridges the gap. Engaging all stakeholders – from IT to business units – in a continuous dialogue ensures a shared vision. ?????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????????????? (??????) ?????? ???? ??????????????. It connects the dots between high-level strategic objectives and ground-level IT operations. Equally essential is periodically revisiting this alignment as both business goals and technological landscapes evolve rapidly. A dynamic, iterative approach rooted in shared understanding magnifies the impact of IT on business success.

1- Being Agile- Respond to quickly to changes and adjust stategy to support business objectives 2- Investing in Technology- In an Inflationary market, Technology is a deflationary force, hence investing into innovation 3-Staying Customer Centric- Continued focus on customer needs and changing preferences and use technology to accelerate development of products or services which meet their demands and generate more value

Strategy must first center on it's customers. A common mistake for organizations and functional groups. The comparison of products in the market - if you don't align to the customer, satisfy security, and achieve market desired features, your product goes off the market. A clear signal and generally a high cycle rate. IT Strategy once centered on it's customers, then needs to drive everything to releasing product and raising productivity. THAT is what matters most. Build the best collaboration tool, then improve it daily. Then make it faster. Then make it better. All based on the CUSTOMER's point of view. Technology can accidentally be a hammer looking for a nail, find the nails in your business and define your technology strategy as such

This also means be clear about emerging technologies and where they fall on the investment vs. explore aspect of your strategy. Technology is constantly evolving, but depending on your business model and whether or not IT is the main product delivered to market, answers on the speed of adoption of emerging technology vs. risk of deploying a fad need to be weighed.

Agile and iterative methods are best used in the execution of the strategy rather than its development. Ideally the vision, mission and guiding principles remain the same or similar over time and the tactics shift to accommodate changing market conditions. If your vision is changing too often then it will be difficult to achieve.

Don’t forget about value creation! Your initiatives should fall into three categories: business support, IT excellence and innovation. The business support initiatives help to create value for the business. IT excellence initiatives improve core IT and innovation proposes new ways of doing things.

Build flexibility into your infrastructure by focusing on spaces, pathways and cabling first. These are the most difficult and costly to change later, and as such should include flexibility and future-proofing.

Encouraging a culture of learning and collaboration is key for successful IT strategy. It means creating an environment where everyone in your IT team and organization is motivated to constantly learn and share their knowledge. This involves supporting ongoing learning, providing opportunities for skill development, and recognizing and rewarding a collaborative spirit. By promoting this culture, you boost your team's capabilities, improve overall performance, and gain a competitive edge in a fast-changing market.

Agile Planning: Embrace agile methodologies for planning and execution. Break down IT projects into smaller, manageable phases with frequent reviews and adjustments to adapt to market changes. Executive Support: Secure strong support from executive leadership to align IT strategy with overall business goals and ensure that IT initiatives remain agile and responsive. Scenario Planning: Develop multiple scenarios for IT strategies to anticipate various market outcomes. This enables you to pivot quickly when conditions change. Flexibility: Build flexibility into IT systems and processes. Ensure scalability and adaptability to accommodate rapid changes in market conditions.

Don’t base your choices based on articles in Time magazine, Gartner, and Frost… those are snapshots in time and will not necessarily tell you what is going on behind the scenes… who is positioning to sell.. who has overloaded operations at any given time … and who will jive with your team’s culture / way of being.

Consider your partnership relationships and ways to leverage their capabilities to help fill in gaps in your team's skills/capabilities, especially when needed to adapt to near term disruptions.

Consider your partnership relationships and ways to leverage their capabilities to help fill in gaps in your team's skills/capabilities, especially when needed to adapt to near term disruptions.