What makes a good IT roadmap? Continue reading to find out!
First, what is an IT Roadmap?
Microsoft states: “A roadmap is a high-level view of strategic initiatives or projects, visualized by a series of sequential or parallel milestones tasked to different teams and stakeholders. By marrying team-specific roles with the overall objectives, roadmaps allow decision-makers to easily keep track of their company’s macro level progress.”
The benefits of an IT roadmap are endless, as detailed in this article by ProServeIT. Benefits include saving costs, increasing productivity, improving security, and much more.
Here at Varsity, our trusted team of IT professionals work with many different organizations to develop strong IT roadmaps. Since the beginning, we have aspired to be the go-to IT team for nonprofits in San Francisco and beyond. We have seen the need and opportunity to energize nonprofits and free them from the constraints, costs, and inconsistencies of an in-house IT department. How do we empower our clients with a strong IT roadmap? Let’s show you!
Examine Current Technology
We recommend starting by examining your current technology set-up. This includes all applications, infrastructure, and hardware. With each tool, you can ask: what are the gaps? What is no longer needed? Do we have any overlaps? You can also discuss unsolved issues, determine weaknesses, and resolve system failures. By understanding your current technology abilities and tools, you’ll be able to launch a stronger, strategic plan moving forward.
Determine Your Goals
This is the most important step in building your IT roadmap. Get clear on your top organizational goals — both short-term and long-term— and determine how technology will support them. Whether you’re striving to increase productivity among your team, automate administrative processes, or improve your IT security, focusing on aligning technology with your goals will help drive action toward key next steps.
Review New Systems and Applications
Once your current technology systems have been evaluated and your goals are set, it’s time to review any new systems or applications that may be needed to mitigate any gaps in your technology strategy. When evaluating any new technology, it’s important to ask questions around user-friendliness, security, costs, and more. This allows you to get a well-rounded view of the technology and ensure it will be a good fit for your organization.
Release Plans and Milestones
The high-level strategy you develop with your team will then need to be turned into an actionable plan built on specific features and enhancements. The plan will consist of granular, more actionable items, while also outlining key milestones. It will also ensure everyone on your team stays on the same page as new systems continue to roll out.
Create Resources and Training
Another important aspect of your IT roadmap includes resources and training. Since your team is your most valuable asset, they made need additional resources to support them. If you need a hand when it comes to developing an IT training program for your employees, look no further than Varsity. We are happy to assist you in developing a robust IT training strategy that covers all the bases.
Connect With Varsity
Above all, an IT roadmap “provides a strategic, structured manner of governing changes to business needs as they arise. It makes sure there is a technology voice at the table when decisions are made that require IT support, and it encourages balancing priorities across the business, diffusing conflict before it arises,” as stated in this CIO article.
Learn more in this Varsity IT Roadmap Infographic or reach out to us to see how we can help you take the next step in your IT strategy today.
