IT Vision and Principles
Formulate the long-term scope and objectives for IT value generation (IT vision), and create high-level guidelines for deploying technology-enabled services (IT design principles).
Improvement Planning
Practices-Outcomes-Metrics (POM)
Representative POMs are described for IT Vision and Principles at each level of maturity.
- 1Initial
- Outcome
- Reduced wastage due to less overlap between systems, as well as an increase in opportunities for integration between systems, may start to occur.
- 2Basic
- Practice
- Prepare a documented statement of long-term IT goals and plans, with a medium-term time horizon (e.g. 1–3 years), as part of the annual IT planning process. Its inspiration is often technology futures and links to business strategy may be loose.
- Outcome
- An understanding of long-term IT plans inform a better discussion of possibilities for the IT function to evolve as a value generator.
- Metric
- Total resources expended on development of long-term IT goals and plans document.
- Practice
- Document some IT design principles and loosely align these with IT-vision.
- Outcome
- Major decisions within the IT function follow design principles that are consistent with published guidelines.
- Metric
- # of IT design principles agreed, documented and published.
- 3Intermediate
- Practice
- Publish a formal statement of how IT and business goals are linked by IT function and other business unit planners, (e.g. Business Value Dials).
- Outcome
- A common reference is available to both the IT function and other business units for discussion of issues around IT value.
- Metric
- # of business strategic goals addressed in the IT vision statement.
- Practice
- Publish a clear statement of IT architecture for the benefit of planners and developers.
- Outcome
- Planners and developers are aware of the architectural constraints that apply to their activities.
- Metric
- # of IT design principles agreed, documented and published.
- 4Advanced
- Practice
- Prepare a joint statement of IT vision (focusing on services that enable business capabilities) by IT and the business as part of the organization planning cycle.
- Outcome
- Common understanding of the meaning and practical manifestation of what constitutes IT value for the organization results.
- Metric
- # of business strategic goals addressed in the IT vision statement.
- Practice
- Formulate IT design principles that support the IT vision in close Alignment with business.
- Outcome
- Design principles are clearly linked to business goals, e.g. agility, non-proprietary.
- Metric
- # of IT design principles agreed, documented and published.
- 5Optimized
- Practice
- Ensure the focus of the IT vision is on IT enabling services that are ‘of the essence’ of the business (e.g. iStor at Apple, Sabre at American Airlines).
- Outcome
- Opportunities for ‘game-changing’ business strategic moves may be identified.
- Metrics
- # of business strategic goals addressed in the IT vision statement.
- # of ‘game-changer’ strategies identified that depend on IT.
- Practice
- Ensure IT design principles result from long-term IT vision coupled with a keen understanding of technology and business trends, and are in close alignment with business.
- Outcome
- The risk of IT capability being a constraint on other business units is reduced.
- Metric
- # of IT design principles agreed, documented and published.