Technology and IT strategy coherence

In the past, it was possible to define a 3-5 year technology or IT strategy with reasonable confidence that the planned programme could be delivered.  Given cost and staffing constraints, uncertainties about business growth, and rapid change in supplier ownership or product sets, this style of planning may no longer be realistic.  Yet there is still a need to reach agreements between internal client and IT groups on what systems can and cannot be changed in the foreseeable future, and then to deliver the systems changes in a way that integrates, rather than fragments, business processes and data.  How then should IT strategy be approached?

Tessella applies agile development practices to its internal projects, and we have also worked with multinational companies and national governments on the creation of long-term data structures and archives.  Using this experience, we help clients take a strategic view of what should be firm, multi-site standards, and where temporary (often package) solutions or bridges will give an adequate and faster answer.  We employ specialists in system architecture who have the hands-on experience to advise our clients on strategic choices, such as between system performance and system inter-operability (for example, using service-oriented architecture).