Throughout my conversations with business owners, CFOs, and other business leaders about their business strategy as it relates to IT, a consistent refrain is “Let’s pop up.”
IT Strategy vs. Tactics
The suggestion of “up” literally implies a higher-level, strategic review. Good intentions aside, though, the tendency is to get into the weeds and focus on solving a current tactical challenge at hand. Being so close to the ground makes it hard to see beyond what is right in front of you, not to mention down the road. Many business issues related to IT cannot be resolved without looking towards the future.
Oftentimes the root cause of this challenge is a problem of expectations. Where expectations are a strong belief that “something” will happen or be the case in the future. The belief that the “something” will always be positive is a formula for mixed and unpredictable results in business. This assumption has led to many failed projects in both IT and the business. This begs the question: When it comes to IT services who sets the beliefs and expectations?
Who drives Business Strategy related to IT?
For larger organizations, crafting business strategy falls to a combination of the CMO, CIO, CFIO, and other dedicated professionals. While this can have direct implications for IT, seldom is this responsibility owned or assigned to the IT staff person. Although they may be able to contribute valuable insights, they are paid to keep the weeds in check and work on the ground.
What about Small Business?
As small business owners where do you go for this counsel? For those who have an IT services provider: how active has your IT service person or company said, “The only bad question is the one you do not ask?” Another area to examine is: When you ask a question, who answers?
Advice vs. a Sales Pitch
Sales goals can skew If it is a salesperson who answers. You then have to ask, what is the goal of their advice? At Lead IT Consulting, we believe and practice that no one person can answer every question. Almost exclusively, the question being asked is not meant to be an opportunity for a sale. This is especially true when the solution is more organizational than technology.
Budget season waits for no one
With budget season approaching the time is now to begin asking questions internally, if you have the resources. Or externally if you do not. Finding the best resource will involve time. If you have the resources, then ask your staff what they believe they need to be more successful in the coming year. To help you assess your CURRENT IT Health, we’ve developed a quick 2-minute IT Health Assessment instrument to help guide your self-assessment in 12 key areas related to IT strategy, staffing, and systems. Download it today to help you determine areas of greatest need.
Get REAL help
If resources are lacking, read, engage with other business owners, or speak with Lead IT Consulting. Picture the benefit of having a conversation with the author of this and other business blog posts, and how it might help your business. We can help you navigate the IT budget planning process by suggesting IT solutions that fit your unique business needs best. We also have developed a We’d love to work with you on this! Book a meeting with the author to discuss or complete a contact form and let us know how we might help.
