Developing an ICT Strategy: A Managers Toolkit Dr Simon N Davey Managing Associate Preponderate.network “Making it easier for you.

Developing an ICT Strategy:A Managers Toolkit

Dr Simon N DaveyManaging Associate

Preponderate.networkwww.preponderate.net

“Making it easier for you to do what you do.”

www.preponderate.net

What does ICT mean?

Information Communications Technology

NOT Technology itself…


The meaning of strategic ICT

Benefits (tangible) People and organisations Leadership, attitude and belief Managing change Working together


There are only two reasons to use ICT

1. Doing things better2. Doing better things

"Wisdom is to recognise what can be made

better and make it better, and to recognise what can only be made worse

and walk away." - Glen Duncan


Fundamentals

An ICT Vision – to do what? High level ownership Budget and predicted ROI across organisation Team = people Training Technology What does success look like…

ICT costs resources


An ICT strategy is…

Short (max. five pages) Simple to understand Able to clearly articulate benefits (people,

clients, finance, effectiveness) What you want to do… and why! Not the how (that’s the ‘plan’) Best built in phases Able to support and accommodate change


Phase One – Who are we and why are we here

Why are we doing what we do? Who are we and what do we do? Size of organisation and number of sites Growth and sustainability (including plans and

change) The ICT Vision Statement (what do we want ICT

to do for us – what difference can it make)


Checkpoint

Do we understand who we are, where we’re going, who’s coming with us, at what speed and for what reason and what is going to happen next?


Phase Two - People

Skills, confidence and the training conundrum How does function or development X impact on

person Y or team Z Roles and responsibilities around ICT Leadership of ICT including senior management Who has input – user groups, naysayers Project management – identity, courage,

tenacity Building a convincing case


Checkpoint

Are the passengers on board? Are they travelling in the same direction as the

driver? Training according to need not qualification Calculate and monitor impacts, benefits and

drawbacks Leadership is all important


Phase Three – Information and Knowledge Management

IT is not information management How do we manage information? Who has access to it? What format is it stored in? Data isn’t information. ICT doesn’t solve information management

problems


Checkpoint

Do we know what information we’re managing, how, why and who should have access to it?


Phase Four – Applications and Software

Standard office software – MS Office, Open Office

Information management and management reporting – database dilemmas

Financial reporting and effective administration Platforms – Windows, Open Source, Macs Devise a solution map by task and role – what

do you need to do? One size doesn’t fit all but you’re not that

special


Phase Five – Communications and

Connectivity

Who with, how, why, when, where, what for… Email – always accessible, for everyone? Website – how managed, for what purpose? Internet connectivity (broadband and

narrowband impacts) Out of office remote access Manchester madness…


Phase Six – Big Grey Boxes (Technology)

Hardware, equipment and networks What do we need to do the job, for the people

to achieve their aims Three year replacement strategy Don’t overspecify equipment Will include peripherals and small white boxes

(iPods?)


Phase Seven – ICT Support

How vital is your ICT? The cost of downtime The cost of inefficiency (staff time or slow

computers/applications) The 50:1 rule of internal staff Measure against ‘lost resources’


Phase Eight – The service mix

Who does what and why around ICT? Strategy, management (and budgeting),

operations, technical support, development, training, project management, …

Internal/DIY, volunteers, consultants – horses for courses

Keeping things running smoothly Dangers of dependency


Phase Nine – Governance: Security, Policies,

Procedures and Risk

Hard but fair? Fitting into culture, opening up opportunities? ‘Technical’ security and people security Risk management – operation, reputation Ultimately whose responsibility?


Phase Ten – Money and return (value?) on investment

How much did you spend last year (on ICT) How much did your ICT cost you last year What could good ICT do for you, your people,

organisation, clients? Budget – one year, three years, ROI and against

change Buy in at senior management and board level Justify to the business – the business case


Phase Eleven – Coping with Change

Cutting edge, bleeding edge Do you need the new whizzygig? Organisational change What happens next? Review dates – organic developments


In summary

Listen to the people (inside and outside the organisation)

Learn from others (especially around systems) including competitors

Don’t reinvent the wheel or overcomplicate NEVER overpromise benefits Define the goal… the rationale… and the direction

and means to get there… Follow up with the detailed plan & structure to

support it It’s about attitude, leadership and helping to make a

difference


Thank you

Simon Davey Preponderate.net

E: [email protected] T: +44 (0) 20 8892 7085

Developing an ICT Strategy: A Managers Toolkit Dr Simon N Davey Managing Associate Preponderate.network “Making it easier for you.

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