5 steps to a winning and innovative IT strategy

As the digital transformation of society and the economy progresses, companies are becoming increasingly aware of the immense value generated by their IT departments. Often, IT doesn't just provide operational support for business objectives: it can also drive the organization's vision, all the more so if that vision is innovation-driven.

That's why we recommend that you pay particular attention to your IT strategy, so that it can best support your ambitions.

How do you define an effective IT strategy ? By following the 5 steps described in this article! 🤓

But before we get to the heart of the matter, a quick definition point to know exactly what we're talking about.

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Definition of IT strategy

IT strategy refers to the roadmap, the plan for employing the IT department for the benefit of the company's business.

It defines the objectives to be achieved over a given period, and the actions to be taken to achieve them, all in line with the organization's priorities.

IT strategy is therefore one of the pillars of corporate strategy in the broadest sense, and is built around elements such as :

• vision,
• processes
• resources
• infrastructure, etc.

The 3 key challenges of IT strategy

#1 Alignment with business objectives

IT strategy crystallizes many challenges, especially as companies become more aware of the added value of their IT departments.

Indeed, the latter is proving to be a powerful support to the business, in particular by providing the necessary tools for a digital transformation that has become essential to remain competitive.

☝️ Companies are therefore well advised to think about how to align IT and business objectives if they want to take full advantage of technology.

#2 Value for money

Obviously, while companies are driven by their vision, they also have to deal with economic reality, and therefore optimize their resources, whether in terms of :

• budget,
• personnel,
• infrastructure.

Building an IT strategy is therefore a fine balancing act, in which these resources must be allocated intelligently to maximize their impact, while ensuring financial stability.

#3 Innovation and adaptation

As we saw in 2023 with the artificial intelligence boom, technological developments are shaking things up for professionals, both in terms of processes and the very nature of the products/services on offer.

Technologies are evolving at breakneck speed, and beware of those who lag behind! The IT plan must therefore enable the company to stay up to date, to take advantage of innovations to maintain its place in the market, and even to nibble away at additional market share.

Having said that, let's move on to the IT strategy itself and its various stages, which we're going to detail right now 👉.

Step 1: Determine the company's objectives

Every strategy is driven by a specific goal, and the IT division is no exception to the rule.

So start by identifying the company's objectives, from which those of the IT department will flow.

👉 For example, is your company aiming to increase revenues by 20% over the coming year? The IT department's job will be to make your online sales platform more user-friendly and available, with a view to boosting sales.

👉 Or would you rather reduce your operating costs? In that case, IT will work to find solutions to further automate its processes and those of other departments.

💡 Tip: to remove any ambiguity and boost motivation among the troops, set SMART objectives, i.e. objectives that are:

• Specific,
• Measurable,
• Attainable,
• Realistic,
• Time-defined.

Step 2: Take stock of what already exists

While it's important to know where you're going, it's equally important to understand where you're starting from.

In other words, you need to take stock of the current strategy and structure of the IT department. This will enable you to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and thus potential areas for improvement.

To do this, you need to analyze various components, in particular :

• the processes and policies in place (e.g. IT security ),
• software and applications used in each department,
• IT infrastructure,
• governance methods,
• skills available in-house.

💡 Tip: we recommend that you also carry out a technological and competitive watch . Thanks to the data obtained, you'll stay abreast of the latest innovations and actions by the competition, and adapt accordingly.

Step 3: Establish your IT strategy

Here, you need to determine which levers to activate, which projects to put in place, in order to achieve your pre-defined objectives.

In other words, you formulate your IT strategy itself, taking into account the actual situation as well as the findings of your watch.

To achieve your objectives, you have several scenarios open to you. For example, you can

• introduce other processes and methodologies;
• recruit talent ;
• deploy new tools;
• strengthen IT security ;
• optimize network infrastructure;
• provide more training for staff, whether in the tech department or not;
• make even greater use of expanding technologies such as artificial intelligence...

... and the list goes on! It's up to you to determine what's most relevant and adapt it to best meet your company's ambitions.

Step 4: Define the implementation map

Now it's time to define the implementation map! Yes, but... kesako 🤔 ?

The implementation map is like a roadmap used to plan all the actions to be implemented, and then associate :

• deadlines,
• costs,
• resources to be mobilized,
• roles and responsibilities.

💡 Tip: tracking the implementation map is greatly facilitated by the use of dedicated software. We're thinking in particular of PPM (Project Portfolio Management), invaluable allies of IT departments in intelligently managing their various projects and programs.

And it's even better with a solution like Triskell, which goes further than just PPM, since it integrates strategic organization management. Managing and prioritizing requests, planning, budgeting, optimizing resources... all IT initiatives are centralized within a single platform to align and adjust your master plan to the global strategy.

Step 5: Measure the performance of your IT strategy

Once your strategy has been deployed, it's time to measure its results on a regular basis, to keep you on course in the right direction and get early feedback on any areas for improvement.

As you can see, you need to have defined KPIs beforehand. For example

• system availability rate,
• Incident reduction rate,
• problem resolution time,
• customer satisfaction,
• IT security index, etc.

In short, there are many metrics to monitor. There's no need to keep track of them all - just focus on the ones that are most relevant to your main objectives.

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What to remember about IT strategy

This is an example of a common IT strategic plan, starting with the company's vision and leading to concrete actions.

While other models exist (problem-based, scenario-based, etc.), they all follow the same pattern.), what they all have in common is that they follow a precise methodology, essential to establishing and deploying a robust IT strategy that reveals your technology's full potential!

This indispensable rigor often requires the use of software, such as PPM, which helps you get organized and gives you complete visibility over your projects. Because in the end, that's what's most important: understanding how IT, business and management can move forward hand in hand to boost business performance 💪.