Decomplexifying IT via Holistic Management Discipline

Decomplexifying IT means to improve IT organizational maturity from functioning (have redundancy) to firm (work solidly), to delight (“just right” simplicity)

Information Technology is the linchpin of contemporary business. Though by its nature, IT is complex, it doesn't mean IT should continue to complicate the matters or increase unnecessary complexity without discipline.

The breadth and depth of IT management include people (skills & capability), process (workflow, effectiveness & efficiency), organizational architecture design, and IT portfolio management. The long-term IT management success requires cross-functional teams working closely to reduce the waste and optimize processes, decomplexify IT via holistic management disciplines.

IT Architecture: IT management systems have an architecture, a good architect and architecture design can help to manage IT complexity and optimize the organizational cost significantly. IT complexity is often caused by short term goals, to run IT as a silo, with overcomplicated, poorly architected application/platform infrastructures, etc.  Architect thinking advocates big picture understanding and a good architecture design can easily handle new requirements without code change. Digital IT leaders must get really creative on how they architect and implement changes and handle IT management, dismantle organizational bureaucracy, to ensure IT is strategically positioned to be ahead of where the business is moving next.

Architects suggest implementable solutions. There should not be any imbalance between the solution communicated and what the programming team understood it to be. Architecture is an investment and should be considered as a governance enabler, meaning that you will need to set up the environment for implementing solutions such that it becomes hard to not do good design, also it becomes hard to not develop generic code, or it becomes hard to not follow sets of principles and processes.

IT Process Management: In a corporate world, you will find the attitude of complicating things in processes, procedures or systems. Bureaucracy = Process Inefficiency. No Bureaucracy ≠ No Rules. IT management should consolidate, modernize, integrate, innovate, and optimize its processes, products, services, and capabilities all the time. The goal-driven process is primarily defined prior to process implementation. The goal of process management or procedure optimization is to eliminate unnecessary complications, improve IT operations to reduce the burden on the company while trying to stay current with ever-changing technologies and dynamic business environments.

To dig into the root causes, inefficient processes or procedures, inconsistent process management is often caused by a lack of policies and governance procedures that define processes. IT organizations are interlaced systems which have their own purpose, and the processes are determined by the intrinsic nature of the whole. Strong business processes have a better chance to deliver better results, manage IT complexity, and keep IT digital fit. To run a proactive IT, progressive IT leaders should take the lead in introducing process management into the entire company and integrate processes across the organization for improving business effectiveness, responsiveness, agility, and maturity.

Project portfolio needs to be managed holistically: The goal of IT portfolio management is not only about the strategic alignment and value leverage; it's also a mix of short, mid and long term projects that need to make up a project pipeline. PMO should focus on setting leadership principles and providing program/project guidance, rather than micro aspects of the projects via asking more tough questions both at the strategic and tactical level, such as: What’s the size and complexities of the organization's business goals? What are the objectives of portfolio management? Has it been determined a need to develop a planned road-map for delivery optimization being agreed upon? Etc.

In order to improve IT organizational maturity, the PMO must be viewed as a business function by directing its mission and activities towards the success of projects as measured in business outcomes such as improved profitability, cost reduction, revenue growth, employee engagement, or customer satisfaction. Once the PMO reaches a high level of maturity, then it becomes a true value-add.

Decomplexifying IT means to improve IT organizational maturity from functioning (have redundancy) to firm (work solidly), to delight (“just right” simplicity). The purpose of decomplexifying practices and holistic management approaches is to improve the project success rate, share resources, reduce waste, enhance overall business capabilities, and increase business effectiveness, efficiency, and speed.

Posted in: Complexity,IT Transformation