AFTERWORD

Business is driven by IT. You need to get over this fact. When the time comes to improve the business services provided by IT, or to create new services, business discussions about service requirements often wander into a detailed analysis of current business procedures, followed by a discussion about procurement, leading directly into the acquisition of a solution that really does not fit the desires and needs of the business.

This situation arises because at the start of such discussions (that are often lengthy and complex) the senior responsible owner (SRO) becomes overwhelmed and loses sight of the essential issues and principles that are needed to guide the full IT-driven business service lifecycle. Pressure to improve quickly leads to action that is not properly assessed. The SRO (or their proxy) needs to be able to intervene the moment that such developments arise. Of course, many SROs are able to make interventions, though numerous overspends or failures to deliver IT programmes or projects, or the revision of the expected benefits of new services, all provide evidence to the contrary.

In our experience, we find that most issues relating to poor design could be identified early in the planning lifecycle. Often, the moment the discussion between demand and supply begins, the understanding gets lost in words, ideas and perceptions. We think business people understand IT and we think IT people understand business – but they do not. And both sides proceed with a design on the basis that any problems will be addressed as they arise, which leads to a costly exercise in changing things as they develop, which further results in major delays or (ultimately) cancellations.

These initial discussions between the demand side and the supply side should be held early, before any analysis and development of the essential components of the business design moves forward. Only then can the SRO be satisfied that the outcomes will be what is required by the business. In this way we accelerate the translation of the needs of the business to the delivery of IT intensive business services. Overall, you reduce the time spent over the entire spectrum of design, develop, build, test, go back to square one, and tear out your hair life cycles, leading to faster time to market and more strategic agility. And guess what? You ensure that you build and deliver IT-driven business services that are fit for use and the aforementioned SRO does not get grief from the Board!