By Bret Elliott, Managing Director - Information Technology and Cybersecurity
At the most basic level, strategic planning for IT translates to understanding the services you’re providing and the resources you have, to provide them. This seems deceptively straightforward, right? As simple as it seems, the foundation of strategic planning - a deep and thorough understanding of these elements, is often overlooked.
Unfortunately, many IT departments don’t have the foundation needed to accurately forecast one to three years ahead, as strategic planning requires. Even in organizations with more mature planning and processes, a set of fresh eyes can make the difference in whether a forecast holds up or breaks down a few months into a new fiscal year.
When assessing available resources, evaluate the people, the platforms, and the technologies to understand both current and future needs of the department and the organization.
Here are a handful of questions every IT department should consider:
- How well does our team's composition reflect the ideal mix of skills and mindsets? Are we ensuring that everyone is in a role where they can thrive and contribute meaningfully to our organization's progress?
- Are we committed to the ongoing growth and learning of our support staff? How regularly do we align our skills assessments with the evolving skill requirements?
- Do our current technologies and platforms meet our immediate needs and set us up for future success? If there are gaps, what strategies should we consider for improvement?
- How aware are we of our existing technical debt - in other words, are we hastily making technology decisions for right now, without considering their application in the future - and, do we have the right tools and strategies to manage and gradually reduce it?
- How robust are our processes for managing and updating agreements and contracts? Do our tools support proactive planning for obsolescence, renewals, replacements, and upgrades, and is this process automated or manual?
- Do our team's goals and objectives resonate well with the broader goals of the organization, ensuring a unified direction?
When considering long-range strategic IT plans, consider the following discussions with your peers:
- Do we have sufficient resources available to support the scope of the projects we're planning or proposing?
- Are our current processes, tools, and procedures effective and adaptable enough to accommodate unforeseen changes?
- Have we prepared our budget to cover all foreseeable expenses and included mechanisms to capture unexpected costs for accurate future planning?
- Do our plans, forecasts, and budget align with our organization's strategic and operational plans and budgets?
- Are we consistently engaging in ongoing dialogues with various business units to review and align on their strategic plans and objectives?
In an ever-evolving technological landscape, it's crucial for us to stay aware of, and understand new and emerging technologies, and how we can apply them across our organization. While complete immersion and in-depth understanding aren't always necessary, we need to grasp enough to effectively integrate these technologies with our organizational needs and long-term plans.
At BrilliT, we recognize that strategic planning is never an easy lift. Our team is here to leverage our combined 400+ years of experience to partner with you on your IT planning and assessments. We bring a unique perspective not found in siloed consulting firms. This insight, shaped by our experience as a cooperative’s wholly owned subsidiary, sets us apart. We perform these services for parent cooperative, resulting in solutions that are real-world and practical – not simply theoretical. We’re committed to working alongside you, not just for you.
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BrilliT is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and was created to help co-ops tackle the IT and cybersecurity challenges of today's constantly evolving digital world.
About the Author
Bret Elliott, Managing Director – IT & Cybersecurity, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC), is a seasoned IT professional with a rich background in the field. With previous roles at Northrop Grumman, CapitalOne, CarMax, and as a Strategic Consultant for AvePoint, Bret brings a wealth of experience to his current position. Bret holds a B.S. in Industrial Management with a focus in Computer Science from Clemson University and an MBA from Winthrop University, where he was honored with induction into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
