Key decision-makers are divided on IT strategy adoption. How will you navigate this challenging situation?

Its strategy is to always align with business strategy and develop IT capabilities to support business growth, implement best-in-class processes, and create efficiencies and automation in the operations. Most of the time, the concerns come from the lack of knowledge about the effort required to develop required capabilities and the organization's cost to implement technologies on the strategic roadmap. At one of the largest metal companies, the warehouse management team pushed back implementing the new order management, inventory management, and shipping execution systems. One of the ways I've helped stakeholders align with IT Strategy was to showcase how it was to make warehouse folk's lives easier and safer in conducting day-to-day tasks.

Not all projects are taken up because they have one of these components: return on investment (ROI), efficiency gains, and competitive advantages. These are easier to get the approval for. Some projects must be taken up because of audit compliance requirements, security, and data integrity. In these cases, it's better to justify the number by showing the cost of not doing such projects, and sometimes those costs may be very high, but they are hard to quantify. One of the ways to get attention is to give examples from other organizations that failed to execute such projects. For example, the Equifax security breach a few years back and the cost of that breach may get attention to approve a centralized system for IT Assets management.

Aligning IT strategy with business goals and objectives is critical to successful adoption. One way to do this is to create a business-IT capabilities Matrix, which will show what tools and technologies are needed to create the technology capabilities to support the business strategy. For example, at one of the mining companies, so many old technologies were in use that provided no robust cyber security capabilities. These security audit findings were a good trigger to align business needs with a newer technology roadmap to protect the company from the risk of being held hostage to cyber criminals if they hacked older technology and took control of the machines.

Exploring alternatives starts with the end goal in mind and the problem that needs to be solved. For example, a manual intervention could be resolved by just tweeting the process without the need for a technical solution. In one of the telecoms, there was so much manual entry regarding contract terms that required additional headcount to extract and enter into a computer to accurately account for revenue in accordance with ASC 606 and the corresponding cost of that revenue. Designing the process to capture all that information upstream, flowing through the interface, eliminated the need for manual entries and improved the accuracy.

Effective negotiating techniques and a cooperative mindset are necessary for reaching consensus. Focus conversations on shared interests and goals by employing facilitation techniques. Encourage all parties involved to engage in frank discussion and active engagement. Determine and discuss the main points of contention through productive discussion. When searching for a solution, try to comprehend and incorporate many points of view in order to strike a balance between them. To come to a consensus, use techniques for reaching consensus such as decision matrices or Delphi procedures. All decision-makers' commitment and buy-in are guaranteed by a well-facilitated consensus process.

The key to building consensus is to look from the stakeholders' vantage point. What's in it for them? This is the question that needs to be answered. Listening carefully and noting concerns, fears of the unknown, and costs and benefits from their perspective is critical to reaching a consensus. In one of the Warehouse Management System's shipping execution changes as part of a Just-In-Time Inventory Value-Added-Services, our ERP team was getting a lot of pushback on the process of shipping the individual inventory items vs. the entire bill of materials because the warehouse supervisor and his team thought it was disruptive to their team. Once we showcased the proof of concept and how it would help them, it was easy to get their buy-in.

A key component of goal alignment is making sure the IT strategy advances the organization's overarching goals. Encourage conversations that draw connections between the suggested approach and important company objectives like increased revenue, improved operational effectiveness, or a competitive edge. Emphasize how the plan can help with particular problems and ensure long-term success. Urge decision-makers to state their objectives clearly and demonstrate how the IT strategy supports or advances them. This alignment highlights the strategic significance of the IT projects and aids in the development of a common vision.

Implementing gradually is possible only when you have the luxury of time, a rare commodity in today's fast-paced era of rapid implementations. The key is setting the expectations right. What is going to be part of rapid implementation and what will be in a phased approach needs to be clearly defined, understood, put on paper, and communicated widely. A clear short-term and long-range road map with an overall program plan and fully loaded project plans within the program, which must include internal and external resources, budgets, and timelines. A clear communication of that plan, including the RACI matrix, full support of executive sponsorship, every stakeholder and participant in the program.

One approach would be a workshop where decision-makers swap roles and discuss from each other's perspectives. This can help uncover shared interests and potentially break the deadlock on the IT strategy.

The most important thing to remember for the IT and Technology team in charge of the IT Strategic roadmap is that the Information technology team's main job is to support businesses in achieving their short-term and long-term goals at the most efficient, cost-effective, and faster speed compared to the competition. It never is the other way around. Information Technology exists to serve businesses.