Welcome to the IT Strategy Matters newsletter

IT Strategy Matters: Unlocking your technology’s potential 

Welcome to the ‘IT Strategy Matters’ newsletter. I’m delighted that you are on this journey with me.   

I set up The IT Strategy Coach because I believe that there is a different way to develop IT strategy and I believe that this approach can be of great benefit to both your organisation and to you.  

I’ve spent much of my 25-year career in IT strategy as a consultant and IT Director. The more time that I have spent as a consultant with clients, the more I realise that IT Strategy is something that is best created and delivered by them, not by a consultant!

I want to take a different approach and dedicate myself to helping others to develop their own IT strategies, with actionable ideas that are truly valuable to the organisations that they work for. In the process, if I can help IT professionals to develop their career, or business leaders to gain a better understanding of IT strategy, I’ll be even happier.  

Often the need for an external perspective or help is misinterpreted as a need to outsource. Some IT functions are prime candidates for outsourcing, but I believe that it is more valuable to develop and deliver the strategy yourself than to fully outsource it. Of course, you can obtain training, help, and support where needed.  

After all, you know your organisation, your users, your stakeholders and your team better than any consultant ever could. You might need to be pointed in the right direction, or to have a friendly face to validate your approach, but that doesn’t mean that you need an army of consultants telling you what you should be doing. 

I hope to become that friendly face for many across our community, helping IT professionals to develop and deliver their best IT strategies, and to develop themselves in the process. I would also like to help business leaders to fully appreciate what is needed from an IT strategy and how to be empathetic to the needs of their IT function. I think that we can build a global community of likeminded people who all want to deliver more through better IT strategy and who can learn from each other on their shared journeys.  

What is strategy? 

There are many words associated with the word 'strategy': Goal, vision, plan, roadmap, to name but a few. All these words describe two things: 

1. A future state which is better than it would otherwise be without the impact of this strategy; 

1. A change plan to achieve this. 

The dictionary definition of strategy is:  

'a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.’ 

It's a vision of a future state that is positive for the beneficiary and a plan to achieve that vision. That is true of business, brand, personal, IT or any other kind of strategy. Often different strategies are inter-woven and dependent upon each other.  

IT strategy has traditionally been subservient to business strategy, being an implementation instrument for higher business goals. But increasingly technology capability is leading business opportunity and so the once enabling IT strategy now sometimes becomes the driving force for the business.  

Developing and delivering an IT strategy is not simple. There are many factors to consider in determining the goal and vision and the plan to achieve them. Delivery is even more difficult, but if you keep the two points above in the front of your mind throughout the process, you will remain on course to achieve what you want: value for your organisation and for you. 

How you and The IT Strategy Coach can help 

Through this email newsletter, blogs, podcasts, my online courses, and the bespoke work that I do with clients, I hope to explore many of the different aspects of IT strategy and how to best develop and deliver it. I’m keen to share my thoughts with you, but also to hear what you think and see in your day-to-day experience. I’ve learned a lot over the past 25 years of working in this field, but I’m just getting started on my journey of learning and discovery as The IT Strategy Coach. I hope to engage many of you in the process and to help as many people as I can.  

I also hope to produce content suitable for different audiences, so whether you are an IT strategy novice or a past master, an IT professional or a business leader, or even an end-user of corporate IT services, I look forward to the journey that we can go on together.  

And I welcome your feedback and your input throughout the process: I believe that IT strategy is a team sport, developed with the input from all interested parties, and delivered with their support and cooperation.  

The same will be true of my advice as The IT Strategy Coach: I’ll happily share my own thoughts and experiences of what makes the most valuable IT strategies, but I also hope to amplify your thoughts and experiences for the benefit of our community.  

Thank you for your help, support and companionship. I look forward to working with you.  

Dan – The IT Strategy Coach 

Might I be able to help you?

Click here to express interest in our upcoming online courses and coaching programmes.

Click here to enquire about a bespoke engagement with The IT Strategy Coach.