Your IT roadmap is made up of small tasks and projects that ultimately lead towards an improved IT function and success for the business. What’s included in the roadmap looks different for each business – that’s because no two businesses is the same nor are they at the exact same stage in their IT development.
At a generic level, however, roadmaps do have common themes that can help to direct your thinking. These aren’t static of course – and no roadmap should be – but these elements will give your roadmap cohesion and direction. Here’s what we recommend:
Goals & initiatives
What do you want to achieve as a business? How does technology support that? IT strategy has to link directly with business strategy. This section of your roadmap should highlight the business capabilities you need now and in the future and how IT supports those. It should also pinpoint if, how, and why IT should pivot to support future development and what the overall infrastructure should look like in the medium to long term.
Tasks, projects & milestones
Now you know what you want your IT to look like, how will you achieve that? Detail each task, each project, and the timeframe in which each will be delivered. Having each step of your IT development mapped out keeps the organisation accountable. It also helps to keep progress on track and to build momentum. With timeframes and milestones in place, it’s also easy to monitor progress and adjust your plans if required.
Resource & training
Upgrading and updating your systems, processes, and procedures take time and investment. Carefully planning both is necessary. IT can be expensive but it needn’t be. Identifying when and where you need to invest money helps you to budget effectively and to avoid unexpected costs. It also means that you can plan how and when to allocate time for projects, who will be working on them, and with whom. You may also want or need to invest in training for your teams in order to achieve your desired outcomes – including that in your roadmap will equip your people with the requisite skills to support change and develop the business.
Status updates
Don’t overlook this part. It’s essential to monitor the progress of your tasks and projects and to keep everyone informed of what’s happening. Delays in tasks and projects, or problems with resources and budget can derail critical parts of the process. These are easily avoided if key stakeholders are up to date and aware of progress – and able to act to mitigate any problems. Want to take your IT to the next level? Visit Nutbourne.com to find out how.