Example of IT Strategic Plan Created by a Consulting Firm

From identifying key stakeholders to aligning digital and business strategies, discover how a strategic IT plan can guide the creation of a successful federated governance model. Learn how trends such as cybersecurity can shape governance policies across all business units. The post provides actionable steps for CIOs to implement a federated model.

This is an example of an IT Strategy Plan prepared by a consulting firm using their proprietary but proven IT Strategy Framework and process.

A consulting firm was hired to assist a city government with formulating an IT Strategic Plan (ITSP) to manage and allocate its IT resources effectively. The city was looking for a detailed strategic blueprint in response to a rapidly evolving technology landscape and to achieve maximum benefits from its IT investments. As part of the plan, the consulting firm examined the current IT environment and trends, prepared an in-depth IT assessment, and proposed a comprehensive strategic plan.

The city faced challenges in aligning its current IT environment with the best practices in the technology domain. There was a need to enhance the technology service delivery, and a strategic approach to technology implementation was lacking. Rapid technological advancements impacted the city's IT infrastructure, demanding a more responsive and proactive strategy.

This IT Strategic Plan Document was prepared using extensive information gathering, analysis, collaboration, and review. It included several workshops with key senior management team members to review and prioritize proposed strategic information technology projects.

The consulting firm provided a detailed IT Strategic Plan. They conducted a user survey to understand the current IT environment and its challenges. This helped create a report outlining how well the city conforms to IT best practices and providing recommendations for improving technology service delivery.

The next part of the report identified enterprise IT trends that could potentially impact the city. Topics such as alignment of business and digital strategies, enterprise data architecture, business intelligence, document and content management, digital government strategy, strategic sourcing, cloud services, organizational change management, mobility, consumerization of IT, and cybersecurity were discussed.

Following this, the strategic plan was created openly and collaboratively, with several workshops involving key city management members. This IT Strategic Plan outlined a roadmap of strategic IT projects and identified necessary resources. It provided a continuous development and refinement plan to adapt to ever-changing technology needs and priorities.

The strategic plan not only offers a roadmap for the city's IT future but also provides a comprehensive framework that can be adapted by other organizations seeking to maximize the benefits of their IT investments while navigating the constantly evolving technology landscape.

This IT Strategic Plan aims to allocate information technology resources better and obtain greater benefits for investments in information technology. The IT Strategic Plan does not attempt to predict the future but more effectively responds to new and changing requirements by proactively adapting processes, organization, people, and infrastructure to meet ever-changing technology needs and priorities.

The critical components of the IT Strategic Plan Document are:

• Section 1: Introduction – scope and objectives of this strategic planning initiative and the technology planning methodology used
• Section 2: Current IT Environment – assessment of current IT capability and recommendations for technology service improvement
• Section 3: Information Technology Trends – provides a prediction of the most significant changes in the information technology landscape and their impact on the organization
• Section 4: Strategic Information Technology Planning – details the collaborative IT Strategy and Roadmap Planning and Development Process with its steps
• Section 5: Conclusion - analysis and recommendations

CIOs can leverage the learnings from the IT Strategic Plan developed by the consulting firm to create a federated governance model in their organization, which can be beneficial in solving real-world problems. Here's how:

1. Identifying Key Stakeholders: The ITSP shows that identifying key stakeholders is crucial. In a federated governance model, defining roles across business units allows for autonomy while aligning with the overall IT strategy. Stakeholder identification also leads to better collaboration, as was seen in the strategic planning process, which had several workshops involving key management members.
2. Understanding the Current IT Environment: A user survey was conducted during the strategic planning. Similarly, a federated governance model requires a clear understanding of the current IT landscape, which includes getting insights from end-users within each business unit.
3. Aligning Business and Digital Strategies: The ITSP emphasized aligning business and digital strategies. In a federated model, this alignment can ensure that IT decisions made within individual units contribute to the overall business goals, thereby reducing friction and maximizing business value.
4. Incorporating IT Trends: The plan provided a discussion of significant changes in IT which could impact the city. Similarly, a federated model should stay abreast of trends and incorporate them into the overall IT strategy. This allows each business unit to stay competitive and adapt to changes while still aligning with the enterprise's strategic direction.
5. Collaborative Decision-making: The ITSP was developed in an open and collaborative process. In a federated model, this approach can ensure that all units have input on decisions that impact them while aligning with the enterprise's overall strategy. This approach can lead to higher stakeholder buy-in and more successful implementation of IT initiatives.
6. Continuous Refinement: The plan also emphasized continuous development and refinement to adapt to ever-changing technology needs and priorities. In the same way, a federated governance model should incorporate continuous refinement to ensure it remains effective and relevant, given the rapidly changing IT landscape.
7. Focusing on Cybersecurity: As part of the strategic plan, cybersecurity was considered a significant trend. A federated governance model should also consider cybersecurity as a crucial element, with policies and guidelines that apply across all business units, ensuring a uniform defense against potential threats.

By understanding and implementing these lessons from the strategic plan, CIOs can effectively implement a federated governance model that enables individual business units to make decisions that are best for them while still aligning with the organization's overall IT strategy. This approach can lead to improved IT services, greater efficiency, and increased business value.