Maximizing Delivery Effectiveness in a Dynamic Technology Landscape
Technology has become the backbone of modern business success. The CrowdStrike incident in August 2024 underscores this dependency, causing disruptions across diverse industries, from global travel to healthcare. This event highlights how deeply integrated technology is across sectors. As businesses increasingly rely on technology, optimizing services and improving delivery effectiveness have become essential for maintaining competitiveness.
Technology Strategy....
When considering strategy, I’m reminded of a military example. Armies invest immense energy into planning, yet they acknowledge that “no plan survives contact with the enemy.” Unpredictable factors, such as weather changes or unexpected actions by the opponent, can quickly render detailed plans obsolete.
Over time, the military has learned that while detailed plans help in thinking through the right issues, they are not always effective in complex, dynamic situations. Consequently, the military adopted the concept of Commander’s Intent (CI). CI is a clear and concise statement of the desired end state. For example, a mission might aim to "break the will of the enemy in the region," but the specifics are left to commanders on the ground to determine. This approach allows soldiers to adapt to unforeseen circumstances while staying aligned with the core objective.
In business, technology strategy should mirror this approach. Rather than relying on rigid step-by-step instructions, it should provide a clear, overarching goal while granting teams the autonomy to adapt as needed. By focusing on clarity of purpose rather than micromanaging details, technology strategy can empower teams to navigate complex environments effectively.
Moments Matter...
Technology services encompass a wide range of solutions, from software development and data analytics to cybersecurity and cloud computing. These services play a pivotal role in driving business growth by improving efficiency, enhancing customer experiences, and sparking innovation. However, the recent CrowdStrike incident highlights the importance of resilience in these services.
Effective technology services can:
Unlocking Value Through Delivery Effectiveness
Delivery effectiveness measures how well your technology services meet business goals, deliver on expectations, and offer a smooth user experience.
Start by aligning technology with your business goals to achieve true delivery effectiveness. Clearly define your objectives and ensure your tech strategy is built to support them. For example, investing in CRM systems can enable personalized services that strengthen customer connections if a retail company wants to enhance customer engagement.
Next, it's important to choose the right solutions and vendors. Over time, businesses tend to accumulate various tools, leading to inefficiencies. A consolidation project—where you assess current tools, streamline processes, and align them with your goals—can reduce costs and improve integration and functionality.
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Strong project management and governance become essential once you've aligned your tech and optimized your tools. These ensure that initiatives stay on track, within scope, and accountable to business objectives. Effective governance also helps manage risks and fosters agile practices, allowing teams to adapt quickly.
Finally, continuous monitoring and evaluation are key. Technology services must evolve with business needs, and regular reviews can highlight opportunities for improvement. Take Spotify, for example, which constantly refines its recommendation algorithms to enhance user satisfaction and deliver better service.
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Best Practices for Maximizing Value
To get the most out of your technology services and improve delivery effectiveness, consider these best practices:
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The role of technology in driving business success cannot be overstated. The CrowdStrike incident highlighted how disruptive technology failures can be, impacting industries worldwide. This event underscores the importance of robust technology services, strong cybersecurity measures, and proactive incident management to mitigate risks. Businesses could have minimized the impact of such disruptions by implementing stronger incident response plans, maintaining system redundancies, throttling patches across systems, and continuously monitoring for vulnerabilities to ensure a quicker recovery.
Just as military strategies depend on the adaptability of Commander’s Intent, business technology strategies should focus on clear objectives while allowing teams the flexibility to adjust to unforeseen challenges. To maximize value, companies must align their technology strategy with business goals, choose the right solutions, and ensure strong governance. Proactively investing in cybersecurity, disaster recovery protocols, and continuous monitoring can reduce the severity of unexpected incidents.
By fostering collaboration between IT and business teams, investing in ongoing skills development, and using data-driven insights to guide improvements, organizations can create resilient systems that not only meet expectations but also drive sustainable growth. With a focus on delivery effectiveness and adaptability, technology teams can help businesses stay competitive and better prepared for the unexpected.
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Siva Pothi is the Chief Information Officer and Global Technology as a Service Offering Leader for Teleperformance USA. He leads international teams within Teleperformance and focuses on developing and delivering innovative, value-added solutions and services to customers.
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