What are some innovative approaches to IT strategy that have been successful?

En mi experiencia personal se trata de buscar siempre la transferencia de valor al negocio en el menor tiempo posible, nos permite bajar la complejidad de las soluciones y por ende los riesgos asociados. Es importante un buen dise?o de gobierno que nos permita estar bien alineados con los objetivos de negocio pero también con la sensibilidad de los líderes de negocio de forma que en conjunto podamos apuntar muy bien hacia aquellos entregables que puedan en las primeras etapas brindar el 80 20 del valor esperado.

It’s the design patterns you apply which enables agility and fast time to markets, not only the process of iterative delivery. Smart design patterns and right level of micro services will enable more development throughput.

Currently implementing the agile IT strategy, I observe significant gains in time and transparency in our processes. Embracing the principles of agile software development, I prioritize flexibility, collaboration, and iterative delivery. This approach not only adapts to changes in requirements, feedback, and opportunities but also translates into breaking down complex projects into smaller, more manageable parts. By prioritizing valuable and urgent resources, we can continuously test and improve them, not only accelerating our response to market changes and customer needs but also reducing waste and risks. This strategy not only modernizes our processes but also fosters efficiency and effectiveness in our work environment.

One of the most benefits of working in an agile way is getting fast and continues customer feedback, I used to work in a non-agile way and because customers usually don't see anything until the whole project is finished -even with progress meetings and whatsoever-, sometimes it ends in a totally different product that what he really expected ??.

If I were talking to the c-suite I would restate this concept simply as: “We suck at running marathons, but can accomplish anything one sprint at a time” In my experience marathon projects don’t end at a finish line they end at a failure line located in a business model that no longer exists. My belief is this is the heart of agile methodologies and others like it. To this I would add that it’s important to remind your end users to tell you what they need, not what they think you can deliver

Data-driven IT strategy is a necessity not a choice at this point. Naturally, many companies are reactive when they are late in the game to adopting or enhancing their data strategy, and want to jump from A to Z without digesting the gravity of importance the in between steps have on being able to get to "Z". Just like a house, we can't prioritize renovation budget on "cosmetics" before infrastructure. Thus, my top recommendation for a Data-driven IT strategy would be to ensure you're strong on the basics (MDM, data governance, data quality, integration layer, data structure, etc.) so that you have an accurate picture of your company, controls on the data, and have agility to continuously modernize on top of this foundation.

Leverage advanced analytics to uncover actionable insights. Employ predictive modeling for strategic planning. Utilize AI algorithms for real-time decision support. Implement continuous monitoring for dynamic adjustments. Align IT initiatives with data-driven goals for agility. This approach ensures a responsive and forward-thinking IT strategy, maximizing the transformative power of data in driving innovation and achieving organizational objectives.

Nicely said but difficult to apply, not only IT Strategy that should be driven by data and evidence, any strategy or strategy decisions should be, that being said, in many cases you will be in a position where you will have to depend on your intuition and then analyze later.

Data is important to support decision making processes but not the only holy grail. Only if it make sense use the insights but also accept the unexpected. if the belly feels good go for the gutfeeling and use data to follow up on impact.

I like to use the Ross and Weil unification Vs coordination grid to plot a path. It states that companies either want to standardise process or increase access to shared data. Or both. It's a really good starting point. Also value anchoring. Figuring out if a company is customer, product or process focused. And driving the startegy from there.

Embrace the scalability and flexibility of cloud solutions. Leverage Infrastructure as Code for automated resource management. Prioritize microservices architecture for agility. Implement serverless computing for cost efficiency. Utilize cloud-native technologies for enhanced resilience. This approach ensures a responsive, scalable, and cost-effective IT strategy, capitalizing on the transformative capabilities of cloud technology for sustained success

Cloud based strategy, I would say, has been most successful, allowing new companies/concepts to come up quickly. It has fueled many startups to form quickly from concept to reality. Just a credit card, and you're up and running within no time. There is no need to sign Datacenter contracts, order equipment, wait for installation, cabling and network configuration, IP address, etc. Startups are all about focus, speed, and action....cloud technologies allow them to dream better and eliminate a lot of their worries.

From fireman Sam to Bob the builder. Cloud makes my life easy to focus on the right things, growth in terms of volumes and growth in terms of capabilities. Cloud first is a strategy and customisations by exception.

This is very much how we achieve a better customer experience, starting with understanding the users on IT that need to support them, and their experiences…and ensuring they are effective and efficient…but most of all, happy! Happy employees delivering technology services goes a long way to ensuring you have happy customers! Another thing we do is have customer ambassadors. These are power users who enjoy collaborating and providing feedback on the technology, their experience with it, their preferences and recommendations. That way they become part of the design team and curate their own experience!

Considering impact to user specific workflows as well as outcomes of planned changes is one of the top priorities to consider. Traditional IT is empowered with enabling change, which to an extent, also impacts IT groups. Adopting proper change strategies based on short and long term impact is important. In my experience working in healthcare, the change to clinical workflows require detailed and delicate work. Organization that have limited impact and maximized benefits have developed repeatable plans of execution. Some have evolved into always on changes that are aligned to new SLAs that are designed into specific change windows into regular operations.

A very good example of this would be user stories that we write in order to illustrate story points. They are based on what the user would like to achieve rather than the sole expected technical result.

Attractive and good performing system are a safe and secure environment to work. A safe and secure environment is one in which the population has the freedom to pursue daily activities without fear.

Another critical element we sometimes overlook is that organizations embarking on digital transformation as an overarching strategy to drive business ROI and enhance user experience often focus too much on the technological aspect. They try to incorporate various digital technologies such as Cloud, IoT, Blockchain, AI, ML, deep analytics, etc. Instead, the focus should be on simplifying the technology landscape and initially concentrating on a few core business processes that generate maximum revenue or have the most significant impact on the business.

I think that I can add one more strategy – AI-driven automation. This strategy involves leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to automate repetitive tasks, streamline processes, and improve overall efficiency. Key components of this strategy may include: - Intelligent operations - Automated software development and testing - Cognitive cybersecurity - Virtual IT support agents - Predictive analytics and decision-making By integrating AI-driven automation into their strategy, organizations can achieve greater agility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, while enabling their IT teams to focus on higher-value tasks that require human expertise and creativity.

In my experience, technology strategy can’t work in silo. First step is to understand the business vision and goals and translate them to broader short/ mid/ long term initiatives. This is where the interplay of technology comes into picture both as means of improvement of top line (new digital channels, better partners/ customer experience,etc) & bottom line (efficiency improvement by use of technologies like automation, analytics, Cloud, etc). Whether it’s the adoption of AI, Broader Data strategy, Cloud or Green IT, the broader business strategy alignment is impertinent. Needless to say, some of the technologies will need to be tested with use cases before a full scale adoption. Lastly, talent strategy for right skills is critical.

The fool with a tool strategy. Don’t focus on toolings only but first define the problem statement and consider technological means afterwards. Proper governance and business IT alignment is a conditio sine qua non

All the topics mentioned are great things to consider. An addition to this list is the team. In my experience we often get the existing team . Considering not just the technology skills at our disposal but also the softer skills will bring a realism often missing from strategic technology roadmaps.