1. Developing an ICT Strategy: A Managers Toolkit Dr Simon N Davey Managing Associate Preponderate.network www.preponderate.net “Making it easier for you to do what you do.”

2. www.preponderate.net What does ICT mean?  Information  Communications  Technology  NOT Technology itself…

3. www.preponderate.net The meaning of strategic ICT  Benefits (tangible)  People and organisations  Leadership, attitude and belief  Managing change  Working together

4. www.preponderate.net There are only two reasons to use ICT 1.Doing things better 2.Doing better things "Wisdom is to recognise what can be made better and make it better, and to recognise what can only be made worse and walk away." - Glen Duncan

5. www.preponderate.net Fundamentals  An ICT Vision – to do what?  High level ownership  Budget and predicted ROI across organisation  Team = people  Training  Technology  What does success look like…  ICT costs resources

6. www.preponderate.net An ICT strategy is…  Short (max. five pages)  Simple to understand  Able to clearly articulate benefits (people, clients, finance, effectiveness)  What you want to do… and why!  Not the how (that’s the ‘plan’)  Best built in phases  Able to support and accommodate change

7. www.preponderate.net Phase One – Who are we and why are we here  Why are we doing what we do?  Who are we and what do we do?  Size of organisation and number of sites  Growth and sustainability (including plans and change)  The ICT Vision Statement (what do we want ICT to do for us – what difference can it make)

8. www.preponderate.net Checkpoint  Do we understand who we are, where we’re going, who’s coming with us, at what speed and for what reason and what is going to happen next?

9. www.preponderate.net Phase Two - People  Skills, confidence and the training conundrum  How does function or development X impact on person Y or team Z  Roles and responsibilities around ICT  Leadership of ICT including senior management  Who has input – user groups, naysayers  Project management – identity, courage, tenacity  Building a convincing case

10. www.preponderate.net Checkpoint  Are the passengers on board?  Are they travelling in the same direction as the driver?  Training according to need not qualification  Calculate and monitor impacts, benefits and drawbacks  Leadership is all important

11. www.preponderate.net Phase Three – Information and Knowledge Management  IT is not information management  How do we manage information?  Who has access to it?  What format is it stored in?  Data isn’t information.  ICT doesn’t solve information management problems

12. www.preponderate.net Checkpoint  Do we know what information we’re managing, how, why and who should have access to it?

13. www.preponderate.net Phase Four – Applications and Software  Standard office software – MS Office, Open Office  Information management and management reporting – database dilemmas  Financial reporting and effective administration  Platforms – Windows, Open Source, Macs  Devise a solution map by task and role – what do you need to do?  One size doesn’t fit all but you’re not that special

14. www.preponderate.net Phase Five – Communications and Connectivity  Who with, how, why, when, where, what for…  Email – always accessible, for everyone?  Website – how managed, for what purpose?  Internet connectivity (broadband and narrowband impacts)  Out of office remote access  Manchester madness…

15. www.preponderate.net Phase Six – Big Grey Boxes (Technology)  Hardware, equipment and networks  What do we need to do the job, for the people to achieve their aims  Three year replacement strategy  Don’t overspecify equipment  Will include peripherals and small white boxes (iPods?)

16. www.preponderate.net Phase Seven – ICT Support  How vital is your ICT?  The cost of downtime  The cost of inefficiency (staff time or slow computers/applications)  The 50:1 rule of internal staff  Measure against ‘lost resources’

17. www.preponderate.net Phase Eight – The service mix  Who does what and why around ICT?  Strategy, management (and budgeting), operations, technical support, development, training, project management, …  Internal/DIY, volunteers, consultants – horses for courses  Keeping things running smoothly  Dangers of dependency

18. www.preponderate.net Phase Nine – Governance: Security, Policies, Procedures and Risk  Hard but fair?  Fitting into culture, opening up opportunities?  ‘Technical’ security and people security  Risk management – operation, reputation  Ultimately whose responsibility?

19. www.preponderate.net Phase Ten – Money and return (value?) on investment  How much did you spend last year (on ICT)  How much did your ICT cost you last year  What could good ICT do for you, your people, organisation, clients?  Budget – one year, three years, ROI and against change  Buy in at senior management and board level  Justify to the business – the business case

20. www.preponderate.net Phase Eleven – Coping with Change  Cutting edge, bleeding edge  Do you need the new whizzygig?  Organisational change  What happens next?  Review dates – organic developments

21. www.preponderate.net In summary  Listen to the people (inside and outside the organisation)  Learn from others (especially around systems) including competitors  Don’t reinvent the wheel or overcomplicate  NEVER overpromise benefits  Define the goal… the rationale… and the direction and means to get there…  Follow up with the detailed plan & structure to support it  It’s about attitude, leadership and helping to make a difference

22. www.preponderate.net Thank you  Simon Davey  Preponderate.net  E: simon@preponderate.netsimon@preponderate.net  T: +44 (0) 20 8892 7085