1. Evaluating IT – how do you know....?
Iain Pritchard - Sayer Vincent
Laura Dawson - RSPB

2. Aim for this session
• To compare the view from “the
bridge” with the view from “the
engine room”;
• To look at some practical models
for evaluating IT; and
• To consider ways of evaluating
your IT leadership

3. The view from the bridge...

4. Some respected truths......?
• IT is crucial to organisational strategy
• We know what we want from our IT
• We know how to manage organisational change
• We look to our IT director for more than answers to technical
questions
• We believe good planning and preparation are key to
success
• We value opinions of our IT department more than those of
suppliers, consultants and other third parties.
• We want to be one single coherent organisations
• We know what we are doing

5. Three evaluation models (that
tend not to work…)
Conventional commercial
Keeping up with
ROI
the charity next
door
Making sure IT s under control

6. Some evaluation models (that
can sometimes work…)
• Force fields
• Strategic alignment

7. Model #1 – Force fields
Innovation
User need Cost (£)

8. Model #2 - strategic alignment
How we get things done –
processes and workflow
Roles and people
IT systems and software

9. The view from the engine room...

10. Lies......
• All you need is the next
new CRM and ££££s will
roll in.
• Spend IT £££ = Big
efficiency Gains
• Successful procurement is
the end of the project.
• I have spoken to IT about
this......

11. What hacks off your IT Director
• “Please come to the strategy meeting next
week...but, first, do you think you could just
fix my Blackberry?”
• “I think its just a bit too early in our strategy
thinking to involve IT”
• “We really need to bring in some experts to
help us review the options”
• “One of the trustees has a nephew who
works in IT”
• “But I don‟t see why we can‟t just do it all
with Gmail and Googledocs...”

12. No smoke without fire
• Do IT staff „look‟ different?
• Does your IT Director delegate answering
technical questions?
• Does your IT Department use 3rd parties
for advice and do they believe the advice
• Is IT good at cutting costs through cutting
services rather than same service,
smaller cost.
• Does your IT Director manage projects or
do they delegate?

13. What is yours like?

14. Weights and Measures
• CCITDG – Benchmarking
• Sayer Vincent – Benchlearning
• Gartner CIO Checklists
• NCC IT Department Accreditation
• Peer to Peer review

15. A few indicators
Is your IT Director:-
• Meeting with internal peers regularly?
• Meeting with external peers, sharing good
practice?
• Measuring costs?
• Measuring benefits?
• Using 3rd Parties and trusting the answer

16. Question....
Operational Strategic
1 2 3 4 5
Where are you now?
Where do you want them to be?
Operational = Maintenance, Responsive, Cost-
conscious
Strategic = Innovation, Proactive, Value-driven

17. Questions and discussion?

18. For more information...
Laura Dawson
laura.dawson@rspb.org.uk
Iain Pritchard
iain.pritchard@sayervincent.co.uk