What is ICT Strategy, why you should have one, what makes a good ICT Strategy and how do you produce one. Also including what does one look like.

1. Shaping the future of the Organisation
Through better ICT Strategy
Australian Computer Society Canberra 2014 23rd
September 2014
Presenter: Matthew Ryan
twitter: @matthewvryan
au.linkedin.com/in/matthewryanveritec/
www.veritec.com.au

2. What is strategy?
Strategy (from Greek) is a high level plan to achieve one or
more goals under conditions of uncertainty.

3. What is strategy?
Max McKeown (2011)
"strategy is about shaping the future" and is the human
attempt to get to "desirable ends with available means”.

4. What is strategy?
Henry Mintzberg from McGill University
defined strategy as "a pattern in a stream of decisions" to
contrast with a view of strategy as planning

5. What is strategy?
Michael Porter
"...broad formula for how a business is going to compete,
what the combination of goals should be, and what policies
will be needed to carry out those goals”

6. What is strategy?
Strategy is the utilization, during both peace and war, of all
of a nation's forces, through large-scale, long-range
planning and development, to ensure security or victory.

7. What is ICT Strategy?
My Definition
High level plan that identifies the ICT objectives, initiatives
and resources required to contribute to the business
strategy. Including the decision making framework that
helps the executive deal with future uncertainties.

8. Strategy vs Plan
ICT Strategy ICT Plan
• Longer term – 3 to 5 years
• Future ICT Environment
• Objectives
• Initiatives
• Roadmap
• ICT Capabilities required
• ICT Organisation required
• More robust
• Decisions are Principle based
• Short Term – 3 mths to 18 mths
• Focused on outputs
• Bounded by Time, Cost and
requirements
• Fragile – affected by issues and
risks
• Decisions are outputs based

9. To not have an ICT Strategy

10. To have an ICT Strategy

11. Why have an ICT Strategy
ICT Strategy No ICT Strategy
• CIO most likely reports to the CEO
• Influences the business strategy
• Seen as a key enabler
• Getting funding is easier
• Seen as key area to invest in
• Proactive, top down direction
• Clear vision and direction
• Staff are more engaged
• ICT is consistent and aligned
• CIO most likely reports to the CFO
• Reacts to the business strategy
• Seen as a necessary evil
• Getting funding is hard
• Seen as a cost centre
• Reactive, bottom up response
• Hard to see where you are heading
• Staff are present only
• ICT is expensive and cumbersome

12. A bad ICT strategy

13. A Good Strategy

14. Good vs Bad
Good ICT Strategy Bad ICT Strategy
• Produced through a strategic
thinking process
• Inclusive of all ICT executive and
key business people
• Actively used and referred to
• Embedded in ICT Governance
• Communicated and understood by
staff
• Produced by a single person
• Sits on the shelf and not used
• Separate from governance
• Not communicated consistently

15. Strategic Thinking Process
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance

16. Business Context
• Outcomes
• Outputs (products/services)
• Stakeholders
• Value Chains
• Operating Model
• Business Capabilities
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance

17. Current State
• AS IS Architecture
– Information
– Applications
– Infrastructure
– Security
• AS IS Organisation
– Processes
– People
– Information
– Technology
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance
• SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threat)

18. Drivers for Change
• External
– Legislative Change
– Mandatory Government Policy
– Technology Directions of Vendors
• Internal
– CEO Direction
– Corporate Strategy
– Classification of Information
– Budgets
– Locations
– Headcount
– Security/Risk Setting
– Burning bridge/aging technology
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance

19. Future State
• TO BE Architecture
– Information
– Applications
– Infrastructure
– Security
• TO BE Organisation
– People
– Process
– Technology
– Information
• Document Key Decisions
• Document architecture principles
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance

20. ICT Strategy
• Objectives
• Initiatives
• Rationale
– Tie back to the SWOT
– Tie back to the Drivers
– Tie back to the key decisions
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance

21. Roadmap
• All initiatives over the duration
• High level definition of each initiative
– Outputs
– Budget
– Resources
– Timeframe
• Identify dependencies
• Identify risks
• Aggregate view of the portfolio of projects needed to
deliver the strategy.
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance

22. Ongoing Governance
• Architecture Principles
• Policy
• Decision making framework
• Key Decision Papers
– Issues
– Options
– Recommendation
Business Context
Current State
Drivers for Change
Future State
The Strategy
The Roadmap
Ongoing Governance

23. Strategy – Short Version
Business Objectives Authoriative Knowledge Sharing Objective 2, 3, 4
Business Initiatives Drive knowledge
transfer between
stakeholders
Build on our world–
leading knowledge
base to support
Members and the
sector
Optimise global
collaboration and the
dissemination of high
quality information
Business Initiatives
ICT Objectives Enable Global Relationship Management ICT objective
Initiatives • Drive forward CRM adoption
• Integrate CRM with Mailchimp
• Integrate CRM with Eventbrite
• Sync JIVE networks with CRM
• Allow members to update their details online
ICT initiatives
Rationale • Single interface for members
• Support account managers in the field
• Support event managers in the field
• Desire to increase the member base and member fee revenues
• Gather feedback from members and stakeholders on information that is
needed to be shared
Rationale to tie back to
the thinking process
Governance ICT Strategy >> TO BE Infrastructure Architecture >> Project Governance
Framework
Security Plan >> Security Policies & Procedures >> Annual Security Assessments
Decisionmaking
framework

24. Strategy – Long Version
• Business Context
– Business Strategy & Priorities
– Outcomes
– Products and Services
– Value Chains
– Business Capabilities
• Assess the current state
– AS IS Architecture
– AS IS ICT Organisation
– SWOT
• Identify drivers for Change
– External Drivers
• Legislations
• Policy
• Vendor Trends
– Internal Drivers
• Budgets
• Headcounts
• Locations
• Legacy Systems
• Determine the future State
– TO BE Architecture
– TO BE Organisation
– Key Decisions
– Architecture Principles
• The Strategy
– Identify Initiatives to reach TO BE
– Align the Initiatives with objectives
– Document your rationale
• The Roadmap
– High Level Plan
– High Level costs, timeframes and
resources
– Sourcing Approach
• Governance

25. Execute and Manage the Change
• Do the thing right!
• Good change management
• Good communications
• Strong leadership
• Nuts and bolts project management
• Collaborative workspaces
• Topic for another day…