A Lead Consultants view : Six Critical Learnings for Successfully Delivering IT Transformation Initiatives

As we all know, the IT component of an IT Transformation initiative is the part that enables the change or changes that an organisation wishes to complete. It is the vehicle, which when successfully delivered provides the organisation with the means to augment itself. However, the IT component does not necessarily help the organisation make this change, and shift from the way it has been operating to the way that it wishes to operate. This business change element is often overlooked in IT Transformation initiatives and in many cases is the reason that such initiatives are unsuccessful. To ensure that you avoid this challenge, consider the following regarding the business change component of your IT transformation:

• Value of Business Change: Understand the critical role of quality business change management in achieving successful transformations.
• Early Engagement: Start your business change efforts early, ensuring you allocate the right resources and budget.
• Dedicated Workstream: By investing in a dedicated business change workstream, you’ll enhance adoption and ease of implementation.
• Successful Initiatives: Projects with dedicated business change budgets tend to achieve better results than those without

As well as baking business change into your initiative at a project level from the start, it is also critical to ensure there is alignment between technology and the business more holistically, in terms of broader goals and strategy. If the goal of the transformation is to begin trading internationally as an example, ensuring that the Technology strategy includes the use of partners that provide support services on a 24/7 basis could be critical. Ensuring that there is clarity and alignment at this level by considering the following can ensure that lengthy and potentially costly delays are avoided:

• Clear Definition of Goals: Clearly define your Transformation business goals and ensure technology strategies are aligned with them. A simple statement but worth the time and effort to ensure all stakeholders are on the same page here.
• Engagement of IT and Business Leaders: Involve both IT and business leaders in the planning process to ensure your chosen technologies add real value.
• Measuring Success: Use SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) to evaluate how well technology solutions meet business objectives.

Focusing on business change and ensuring strategic alignment help from the beginning will help to ensure your IT transformation commences in the right way. Planning how your IT transformation initiative will be handed over to Business As Usual (BAU) Support teams will help to ensure it is completed in the right way also. Often Service Transition commences at the very end of the initiative, limiting the time that BAU support teams have to complete their onboarding activity and reducing the quality and scope of the support they can provide as a result. Consider the following to ensure you avoid this common mistake:

• Early Engagement with BAU Support: Involve your BAU support teams from the outset to build strong relationships and reduce transition risks.
• Team Integration: Foster a collaborative spirit between delivery and support teams for a smoother transition. Whatever works for the wider team e.g. – team lunches, workshops, breakfast meetings.

Any seasoned project or programme manager will tell you that the one thing that they absolutely expect on every initiative they work on is change. Unplanned activities, unwanted delays and unknown complexities are common and will occur. Being able to adapt to the unplanned, unwanted and unknown will be critical when it comes to delivering your IT transformation initiative successfully. Having a team that are equally adaptable through their breadth and depth of skills, knowledge and experience is a significant advantage. Consider the following when maximising your adaptability:

• Acknowledge Individual Strengths: Recognise and leverage the individual strengths and characteristics of team members. It’s a gift to have diversity of skills.
• Flexibility: Stay adaptable to changes and new insights, these will help you navigate challenges more effectively.
• Acknowledge Softer Side: Recognise the power of the individual and adapt to the individual strengths and characteristics of team members for a more successful outcome. This takes your time but is always worth the investment

Many IT Transformation initiatives are a marathon rather than a sprint. They are likely to take months rather than weeks, and will have ups and downs along the way. And whilst governance sessions, highlight reports and Steering Committee meetings are great ways to chart the status, progress of an initiative are discussing the risks and issues they are facing, they are not always set up to recognise and call out success. A great way to ensure your team remain positive and upbeat throughout your IT Transformation initiative is to consider the following:

• Regular Recognition: Offer genuine praise and celebrate successes throughout the initiative.
• Positive Reinforcement: Encourage continued enthusiasm and commitment through positive reinforcement. Do not leave this praise to the end of the project when it is then too late to have an impact – most individuals act well to praise.

Gaining additional perspective when trying to complete something difficult or challenging is often helpful. It can provide clarity, challenge our thinking and drive optimisation and improvement. In the context of delivering your IT Transformation initiative, gaining an independent view from someone outside of your team through a structured review can give you this perspective. Consider the following to ensure you benefit from additional points of view on your IT Transformation initiative:

• Advocate for Quality Assurance: Promote a culture of quality assurance and continuous improvement throughout your projects.
• Sense-Check and Confidence: Apply the valuable “if it was my money, would I?” test to ensure high standards of quality and maintain confidence among senior stakeholders.
• Internal and External Audits: Encourage both internal and external audits to ensure governance and quality standards are met, fostering accountability and successful outcomes.

We hope these insights help you steer your IT transformation projects towards success. Stay tuned for more valuable insight, in our next instalment!