Your organisation is also going through a digital transition. It is of the utmost importance that your information provision is brought in line with your new information needs. The crucial factor for a successful digital transition is the organisation's ability to embrace and secure these changes.
This transition is usually directed, deployed and executed from within ICT, while the greatest benefits can be achieved through process optimisation and the accompanying shift in responsibilities within the organisation.
Of course, much changes for the ICT organisation as a result of outsourcing the services, but the biggest change is found as a result of the digital transition and it is felt in the organisation itself.
The question is then, are the people in your organisation ready and willing to change with you to make the transition a success?
Tried and tested method for dealing with change in "IT" processes
In recent years, IT changes have been occurring more and more quickly, and in a competitive market it is logical that management teams also pay attention to this. They increasingly see IT as an enabler or a necessity to achieve their objectives. But what if you hear all the great stories from the suppliers, but find it difficult to assess the impact on your business? How do you determine what your company really needs? And how do you ensure that your organisation deals with these changes in a positive way? We would like to give you a few tips.
The above organisational questions often receive insufficient attention before an IT change project is started. Too often and too quickly, it is assumed that such a project can easily be tackled. However, good preparation is half the battle. A lot of money, frustration and time can be saved by gaining insight in advance. Therefore, before starting a large IT change project, look at the usefulness and the willingness to change. If you, as management, know what is going on within the organisation, you can respond intelligently.
5 questions to ask yourself
An IT change project consists of much more than just an Excel exercise and a business case with a nice story and so-called figures. In a project, you need to get answers to the following 5 questions beforehand:
- Why is the change necessary?
- When is the change a success?
- What is actually changing with what impact?
- How change-minded is my organisation?
- What (critical) business risks are associated with this change?
These questions seem simple, but are often difficult to answer unambiguously. Even if the answers are clear, careful thought must be given to the development, implementation and adoption of the change. How do you ensure that there is enough focus on the mutual cooperation between departments and individuals? And that the risks are mitigated in a smart way and that you offer your organisation the support and resources it needs to be successful in change. This often requires extra attention during the change process, which eventually pays off in the implementation.
Focus for a successful route
Successful change can be achieved by assigning actions to the project team or setting up a separate team for it. The weight of each action is closely related to the impact of the change and the resilience of the organisation. By also setting up the governance and reporting well, you will see that the IT change process will run better and that setbacks can be remedied more easily. Focus is the key word here.
For all this, we use a tried and tested method starting with a transition impact assessment followed by a tailor-made plan for the organisation. This plan provides the management and the change manager with the tools to keep a clear focus in these sometimes difficult processes, to make the best choices and to let the change happen in a controlled and successful way.
The change will be managed on three axes, namely value creation, operational focus and transformation focus.
An example of which aspects are included in a route is shown in the figure below.
If the above has set you thinking, then it is always possible to exchange ideas without obligation and investigate whether the above approach could work in your organisation.
Author: Branka Dessens - Director/Owner BMLD
Branka Dessens, founder of BMLD, has earned her international reputation by leading several large change processes in various management positions at home and abroad. She has done this for years for, among others, the listed company Vopak, but also as CEO for Cloud Managed Service Provider Stepco, and the German Twinsec. She has also been included in the well-known Goldilocks top 100 of management magazine MT.
In her career, she has seen that, without the right focus and attention, many change processes, including IT programmes and acquisitions, fail. She has therefore set herself the goal of helping organisations to arm themselves against these failures and to apply her knowledge and experience to that end. LinkedIn
