The Power of Standardization

In the ever-evolving landscape of corporate IT, standardization stands as a powerful yet underutilized force. While standardization has revolutionized consumer products and services, the realm of IT applications and information systems remains a fragmented frontier. This lack of uniformity can impede progress, hinder innovation, and create unnecessary challenges for organizations.

Standardization in IT infrastructure, encompassing hardware and fundamental software components, has brought about remarkable efficiencies. Gone are the days of vendor lock-ins that bound enterprises for a decade or more. Standardization allows organizations to manage costs effectively, optimize resource usage, and explore more flexible delivery models.

However, when we shift our focus to the creation and maintenance of applications and information systems within corporate IT, a different picture emerges. The adoption of existing standards is inconsistent, and standards that don't perfectly align are often rejected outright. Internal standards that could benefit the organization find little traction on corporate IT agendas. Even when standards are chosen or created, the compliance processes are frequently lacking.

Understanding the nature of the problem sheds light on the solution:

a) Standardization yields its full benefits over time. A standard only becomes a norm when it sees repeated use in subsequent endeavors. Unfortunately, a significant portion of corporate IT operates in a state of perpetual amnesia, where anything beyond the project's end is deemed of lesser importance, including leaving a legacy of usable norms for future projects.

b) Standardization thrives when embraced across boundaries. The more widely accepted and applied a standard is, the greater its impact on quality, productivity, adaptability, and innovation. However, silos within IT teams and projects often hinder the spread of standards.

c) Standardization empowers consumers and mitigates the risk of fiefdoms. Diligent standardization reduces the risk of being held hostage by a single individual or team with unique knowledge. It opens the door to easier system replacement and encourages innovation by allowing alternate providers within or outside the organization.

In summary, underutilization of standards is a hallmark of lower-quality engineering in information systems.

Without adequate standardization, systems become difficult to replace, knowledgeable staff becomes scarce, and asset re-use is hampered by technical incompatibilities.

This, in turn, hampers an organization's adaptability and responsiveness to environmental changes. It's time for corporate IT to embrace standardization as a catalyst for progress and innovation.