IT Responsiveness
The Challenge
Information Systems is a core area critical for organizational success. For global organizations, effective coordination, communication and systems depend on IT effectiveness. For domestic organizations effective IT functions are critical for streamlining systems, reducing costs, establishing standard systems and managing HR and Financial systems.
Unfortunately, IT is so essential that providing effective internal customer service is a challenge. Managing and responding to the many IT initiatives along with daily work orders serving employees at all levels become overwhelming to IT functions. In addition, many organizational initiatives require the support of the IT functional area, which puts a further strain on this department.
Often times, to handle the overwhelming numbers of initiatives, projects and work order requests, the IT department will try to divide and conquer. This results in silos within the IT department, which cause even more breakdowns. Conflicting priorities, lack of effective utilization of resources and micro management can easily become a dilemma for effectively delivering projects on time, on budget and with a high level of customer satisfaction.
IMPAQ’s Solution
Improving IT responsiveness and effectiveness begins by ensuring that the IT Leadership Team has shared ownership for resolving the customer issues, resolving conflicting priorities and sharing resources effectively to achieve the most important IT initiatives. While effective planning has mostly likely already taken place, establishing an internal cross-functional approach to solving IT breakdowns is critical to prevent silo behavior and fragmentation. In addition, it is critical for IT leadership to be aligned and speak with one-voice to their customers and to their organization based on clear strategy and response to daily work orders.
The Result
- Improved customer service and responsiveness
- Minimizing scope creep delivering projects on schedule and on budget
- More effective proactive and strategic thinking for the implementation of IT projects instead of simply reacting to requests and breakdowns
- Improved cooperation of IT when they are part of another area’s project team
- Improved operating systems and procedures within the IT function
- Greater collaboration with internal customers when IT initiatives are resulting in change that impact customer operations
