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Key
Messages
Implement
a Formal IT Strategy
Developing and implementing a formal IT Strategy will ensure that you maximise
return on your investment in information technology. IT strategy is driven by
your business strategy - it should support the achievement of your business objectives.
In this context it should dictate what technologies you will need to invest in,
how much you will need to spend, when you will need to spend it, what level of
training people in your business will need, and how much external support you
will need. Because the scope of an IT Strategy is company-wide, it should prevent
the problems that occur when individuals or departments make IT choices without
recourse to the rest of the organisation.
The
following are key points to keep in mind: -
You may need to take a preliminary step and review how the business processes
themselves meet the business objectives. For example, make sure you are not simply
computerising a process which is poor at the outset.
- Equally
you can take the opportunity to review the available technologies and see how
these could not only be applied to existing processes but how the processes themselves
could change to embrace the technologies and ultimately deliver a more effective
result.
- Secure
Management Team involvement
Do not make the mistake of assuming this is a technical
task which should be delegated to the person who
looks after your network. IT should be a key driver
in the achievement of your business objectives.
If key decision-makers do not back this process
in practice, it will be impossible to implement.
Also the management team are the closest to the
business and are aware of likely future developments.
- Consult
with all those affected
by the IT Strategy.
With the advent of eBusiness this may be a very wide
audience indeed - staff, customers, suppliers, distributors, contractors.
- Seek
independent IT advice
Ideally find someone with experience in your industry who has both IT and business
process expertise. Using someone with only IT skills will limit the scope and
effectiveness of the strategy
- Document
a plan and monitor it.
It is essential that a member of your management
team is given overall responsibility for implementation of the plan, and that
progress against the plan is reviewed monthly as part of the management meeting
cycle. The strategy itself should be reviewed quarterly - your business objectives
may change, so it may be appropriate to re-prioritise
Refer
to the detailed How To Guide on Formulating
an IT/eBusiness strategy for SMEs
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