Strategic Systems - This overused term is at risk of losing all meaning. What’s truly strategic?
August 25, 2006 from CIO – “The word strategic is used so freely these days that it’s at risk of losing all meaning. People attach the S-word to their pet project hoping it will help gain others’ approval. “Ooh ... ahh ... wow ... it’s strategic!” people are supposed to say. “Yes, let’s do it without any further justification!”
With such overuse, the word has come to mean little more than “nice”—a bland superlative. He’s a nice guy. This project is strategic. Yawn. This is a serious problem, because it’s imperative that IT and business leaders know what truly is strategic in order to focus scarce resources on really important, high-payoff initiatives…
When we discuss “strategic systems,” we generally are referring to IT solutions that contribute directly to clients’ business strategies. IT solutions create business value at a number of levels.
As IT climbs the stair-steps, it contributes successively more strategic value. Up through Level 3, the benefits are simply enhanced productivity. At Level 4 and above, technology allows the business to do things it otherwise could not do—termed “value-added” benefits.
Operations
At Level 1, IT is just keeping things running. While this has value—indeed, most firms cannot survive without it—no initiatives at this level can be considered strategic. For something to be strategic, it has to be a means to some new end, not just essential to maintaining the status quo. This doesn’t mean that investments to “keep the lights on” are unimportant by any means; it just means they’re not strategic to IT or to clients.
An example of an investment at Level 1 is the replacement of IT infrastructure that’s at the end of its life.
IT Efficiency
At Level 2, investments in IT pay off by making future IT products and services less expensive. These initiatives may be strategic to IT (if the IT strategy is focused on lowering costs, which isn’t always the case, as discussed above). But Level 2 initiatives will not be considered strategic to the business.
Examples of a Level 2 investment are a migration to a new infrastructure platform that will significantly improve IT’s cost structure, server consolidations, process improvements like ITIL, and IT organizational improvements.
Business Efficiency
Level 3 initiatives spend money on IT to save even more money by making clients’ business operations more efficient. These investments are only strategic if the clients’ business strategy focuses on reducing costs. That’s a big if. Unless clients are in a commodity business where product cost is the primary buying criterion, clients’ strategies are more likely to focus on innovation, product differentiation through features or quality, market image or customer satisfaction.
Examples of Level 3 systems are those that improve bargaining power with suppliers (such as supplier e-commerce), increase inventory turns, reduce administrative workloads and optimize logistics.
ERP generally delivers value at Level 3 (with spin-off benefits at Level 2). Even most business process improvements that are triggered by the implementation of ERP do little more than improve efficiency, though certainly there are examples of higher levels of value when ERP is triggered by strategic changes in the business rather than the other way around.
Business Effectiveness
Level 4 investments in IT make clients more effective. IT tools may enhance individual creativity, thinking and decision-making abilities or communications effectiveness. IT solutions may also enhance collaboration within teams, or improve corporate-wide alignment. By helping clients do their jobs significantly better, IT may create value within any business strategy.
Examples of IT solutions that deliver Level 4 value include the gamut of end-user computing tools when they’re applied to specific human thinking and collaboration needs. My first book, The Information Edge, included 60 case studies that illustrate Level 4 benefits. Mary Boone’s follow-on book, Leadership and the Computer, described a series of case studies where end-user computing tools enhanced executives’ ability to lead their organizations.
IT business applications may also deliver Level 4 benefits. For example, at Abbott Laboratories, an Electronic Laboratory Notebook helps chemists share research findings in the drug discovery process, precluding redundant experiments and improving collaboration. It also helps secure Abbott’s intellectual property by documenting discoveries in an organized form.
Customer Relationships
Level 5 solutions enhance the relationship between the corporation and its external customers, improving customer satisfaction, loyalty or reach.
Customer loyalty programs, pioneered by American Airlines’ frequent flier program, are a classic example of Level 5 systems. A great example of this concept is WelcomeAddition.com, provided by the Abbott Nutritionals Division. It gives new and expectant parents access to a wealth of information about pregnancy and babies’ first years. Participants can connect with other new parents, read articles and research questions, and interact with baby experts. The site encourages healthy living while building loyalty to Abbott’s infant nutritional line of products.
As another example, my stock brokerage firm provided me with a trading tool that allows me to monitor markets, analyze strategies and enter trades. Now that I’ve got it set up the way I like it, I’m not going to move my portfolio to another brokerage house to save just a few cents per trade.
ERP and CRM may deliver benefits at this level if they allow separate business units to come together and treat customers holistically (rather than viewing them as a set of separate contracts)—an IT patch for a corporate sales function that’s divided by product line rather than by customer.
With regard to customer reach, e-commerce delivers Level 5 benefits by allowing firms to enter new market segments without a physical presence.
Product Value
Level 6 is the most lucrative, and the most elusive, form of strategic value. At this level, IT enhances the value of the corporation’s products to external customers.
When IT is part of the product, this level is obvious. Examples are found in any IT service provider. ADP provides payroll services, and any improvements in its payroll applications improve its product. At the consumer level, Internet banks are learning that the ease of use and capabilities of their websites are as important to customers as their rates.
A very interesting example of Level 6 value is found in the automobile auction industry. Two major companies auction fleets of used cars for manufacturers and rental companies. Since the price they get for the cars is equivalent—it’s a highly efficient market&151;they compete on service. A significant portion of their service is the information they provide to their customers about the market and the transactions. In other words, they compete based on the ability of their information systems to package and format data coming from the auctions in a way that’s most useful to their customers.
180 View – We take a different approach in identifying strategy. We ask our clients to define their critical success factors (CSFs) - what they must do well in order to be successful. Strategic value is directly related to the extent IT allows an organization to achieve its CSFs.
August 25, 2006 from CIO – “The word strategic is used so freely these days that it’s at risk of losing all meaning. People attach the S-word to their pet project hoping it will help gain others’ approval. “Ooh ... ahh ... wow ... it’s strategic!” people are supposed to say. “Yes, let’s do it without any further justification!”
With such overuse, the word has come to mean little more than “nice”—a bland superlative. He’s a nice guy. This project is strategic. Yawn. This is a serious problem, because it’s imperative that IT and business leaders know what truly is strategic in order to focus scarce resources on really important, high-payoff initiatives…
When we discuss “strategic systems,” we generally are referring to IT solutions that contribute directly to clients’ business strategies. IT solutions create business value at a number of levels.
As IT climbs the stair-steps, it contributes successively more strategic value. Up through Level 3, the benefits are simply enhanced productivity. At Level 4 and above, technology allows the business to do things it otherwise could not do—termed “value-added” benefits.Operations
At Level 1, IT is just keeping things running. While this has value—indeed, most firms cannot survive without it—no initiatives at this level can be considered strategic. For something to be strategic, it has to be a means to some new end, not just essential to maintaining the status quo. This doesn’t mean that investments to “keep the lights on” are unimportant by any means; it just means they’re not strategic to IT or to clients.
An example of an investment at Level 1 is the replacement of IT infrastructure that’s at the end of its life.
IT Efficiency
At Level 2, investments in IT pay off by making future IT products and services less expensive. These initiatives may be strategic to IT (if the IT strategy is focused on lowering costs, which isn’t always the case, as discussed above). But Level 2 initiatives will not be considered strategic to the business.
Examples of a Level 2 investment are a migration to a new infrastructure platform that will significantly improve IT’s cost structure, server consolidations, process improvements like ITIL, and IT organizational improvements.
Business Efficiency
Level 3 initiatives spend money on IT to save even more money by making clients’ business operations more efficient. These investments are only strategic if the clients’ business strategy focuses on reducing costs. That’s a big if. Unless clients are in a commodity business where product cost is the primary buying criterion, clients’ strategies are more likely to focus on innovation, product differentiation through features or quality, market image or customer satisfaction.
Examples of Level 3 systems are those that improve bargaining power with suppliers (such as supplier e-commerce), increase inventory turns, reduce administrative workloads and optimize logistics.
ERP generally delivers value at Level 3 (with spin-off benefits at Level 2). Even most business process improvements that are triggered by the implementation of ERP do little more than improve efficiency, though certainly there are examples of higher levels of value when ERP is triggered by strategic changes in the business rather than the other way around.
Business Effectiveness
Level 4 investments in IT make clients more effective. IT tools may enhance individual creativity, thinking and decision-making abilities or communications effectiveness. IT solutions may also enhance collaboration within teams, or improve corporate-wide alignment. By helping clients do their jobs significantly better, IT may create value within any business strategy.
Examples of IT solutions that deliver Level 4 value include the gamut of end-user computing tools when they’re applied to specific human thinking and collaboration needs. My first book, The Information Edge, included 60 case studies that illustrate Level 4 benefits. Mary Boone’s follow-on book, Leadership and the Computer, described a series of case studies where end-user computing tools enhanced executives’ ability to lead their organizations.
IT business applications may also deliver Level 4 benefits. For example, at Abbott Laboratories, an Electronic Laboratory Notebook helps chemists share research findings in the drug discovery process, precluding redundant experiments and improving collaboration. It also helps secure Abbott’s intellectual property by documenting discoveries in an organized form.
Customer Relationships
Level 5 solutions enhance the relationship between the corporation and its external customers, improving customer satisfaction, loyalty or reach.
Customer loyalty programs, pioneered by American Airlines’ frequent flier program, are a classic example of Level 5 systems. A great example of this concept is WelcomeAddition.com, provided by the Abbott Nutritionals Division. It gives new and expectant parents access to a wealth of information about pregnancy and babies’ first years. Participants can connect with other new parents, read articles and research questions, and interact with baby experts. The site encourages healthy living while building loyalty to Abbott’s infant nutritional line of products.
As another example, my stock brokerage firm provided me with a trading tool that allows me to monitor markets, analyze strategies and enter trades. Now that I’ve got it set up the way I like it, I’m not going to move my portfolio to another brokerage house to save just a few cents per trade.
ERP and CRM may deliver benefits at this level if they allow separate business units to come together and treat customers holistically (rather than viewing them as a set of separate contracts)—an IT patch for a corporate sales function that’s divided by product line rather than by customer.
With regard to customer reach, e-commerce delivers Level 5 benefits by allowing firms to enter new market segments without a physical presence.
Product Value
Level 6 is the most lucrative, and the most elusive, form of strategic value. At this level, IT enhances the value of the corporation’s products to external customers.
When IT is part of the product, this level is obvious. Examples are found in any IT service provider. ADP provides payroll services, and any improvements in its payroll applications improve its product. At the consumer level, Internet banks are learning that the ease of use and capabilities of their websites are as important to customers as their rates.
A very interesting example of Level 6 value is found in the automobile auction industry. Two major companies auction fleets of used cars for manufacturers and rental companies. Since the price they get for the cars is equivalent—it’s a highly efficient market&151;they compete on service. A significant portion of their service is the information they provide to their customers about the market and the transactions. In other words, they compete based on the ability of their information systems to package and format data coming from the auctions in a way that’s most useful to their customers.
180 View – We take a different approach in identifying strategy. We ask our clients to define their critical success factors (CSFs) - what they must do well in order to be successful. Strategic value is directly related to the extent IT allows an organization to achieve its CSFs.
posted by 180 Systems at 10:09 PM 
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home