A clear technology strategy that defines the need, selection and application of technology is required. It should cover:
- Architecture approach & preferences
- Single platform versus individual best in class solutions
- Considers entire end-to-end technology suite
- Customisation of technology solutions.
- Out of the box deployments are cheaper, easier to support and easier to manage than heavily customised solutions
- Integration approach & requirements
- A modern API approach such as restful APIs using JSON files
Technology is an enabler of transformation and should not be seen as the key driving force behind it. Technology underpins the transformation & must support/enable all other aspects:
- Vision: Drives what the technology needs to deliver
- Ownership: defines the investment & technology strategy
- Culture: requires technology to support new working practices
- Customers: require technology to deliver the right experience
- Measures: needs technology to improve transparency in the functioning of the business
Best illustrated with an example: Automation. If an existing process is automated, then both the good and the bad aspects of that process are automated including the waste within the process. Automation could mean that the process generates waste 10–20 times faster than before.
This creates more inefficiencies within the process and the organisation it also prevents us from releasing the people that previously worked on the manual elements process, as they are often having to firefight the additional waste creation from the process.