Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

12
Info-Tech Research Group 1 Build an Applications Roadmap Use a roadmap to manage your apps portfolio and help realize your core apps objectives.
  • date post

    21-Oct-2014
  • Category

    Business

  • view

    645
  • download

    1

description

 

Transcript of Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Page 1: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 1

Build an Applications RoadmapUse a roadmap to manage your apps portfolio and help realize your core apps objectives.

Page 2: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 2

Take the time to build an applications roadmap and immediately start seeing benefits in your applications portfolio management.

Introduction

CIOs looking to improve their planning strategy.

IT leaders planning on developing an applications portfolio roadmap.

Applications managers looking to improve upon their current roadmap.

This Research Is Designed For: This Research Will Help You:

Identify the benefits of using an applications roadmap.

Take the steps necessary to build a roadmap.

Prioritize the actions on your roadmap.

Choose who to collaborate with and when.

Develop a basic, 3-5 year applications roadmap.

Page 3: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 3

Executive Summary

An applications roadmap is a guideline that plans out the applications strategy over a given time frame, usually from three to five years.

Going through the process of building an applications roadmap will result in:

• Higher quality applications.

• Improved ability to manage legacy applications.

• Greater alignment with business needs.

Organizations with a roadmap in place are:

• 200% more pleased with their application quality.

• Four times more likely to be happy with the ability to manage legacy applications.

• Six times more likely to feel aligned with business needs.

Road-mapping alone is a valuable exercise that should not be overlooked. Schedule regular reviews to keep the roadmap current and continue anticipating the business’ needs.

Page 4: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 4

Make the Case

Make the Case

Assess the Current Inventory

Establish the Direction of Your Roadmap

Prioritization of Actions

Next Steps

What’s in this Section: Sections:

• What is an Applications Roadmap?

• Who needs an Applications Roadmap?

• What are the benefits of having an Applications Roadmap?

Page 5: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 5

An applications manager can’t plan his or her own destiny without having a roadmap in place.

- CIO, Manufacturing

These objectives apply to all elements of the applications environment.

There are five core objectives you must meet for optimized apps performance

Value. Deliver application services in a manner that is cost-effective for both CAPEX and OPEX while still delivering business value. Cost objectives vary with organizational need.

Responsiveness. The ability of the systems to respond to the needs of the end users and achieve the goals put forth by the business needs.

Quality. The processes supported by the systems provide high quality service to the business and help them meet their business goals.

Predictability. Performance levels associated with the systems are consistent and as expected.

Talent Retention. The ability to keep staff who have the required skills to develop and maintain the key applications.

Applications Objectives

ValueResponsiveness

QualityPredictability

Talent Retention

Page 6: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 6

Without a proper plan, you significantly reduce your ability to reach core objectives

If you don’t plan… Core Objective If you plan….

You are not applying scarce resources (people and dollars) to the most valuable activities. Value

You have the capacity to deal with major improvements. You don’t waste resources on testing minor changes.

Application responsiveness suffers due to the constant need to put out fires. Responsiveness

You experience better application responsiveness due to proactive elimination of slowdowns.

You don’t have a full grasp on where IT needs to improve. Quality

There is a higher level of quality due to better gap analysis.

You can’t be proactive and may be surprised by unforeseen events. Predictability

You have knowledge of upcoming changes due to a more concrete planning strategy.

Constant unplanned change can lead to talent walking out the door. Talent Retention

An awareness of what is coming down the pipeline allows developers to keep their skills refined.

Page 7: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 7

Be prepared: increased responsiveness and predictability allows IT to take off the firefighter’s helmet.

Having a roadmap in place improves business relations, prepares IT for change, and increases efficiency

Without an applications roadmap, the CIO often has to default to firefighter mode. Too much time putting out fires can eliminate the ability to plan ahead and make the applications more efficient and more effective for meeting the business needs of the organization.

Being proactive can mean having a formal plan in place or just having a clear sense of where you stand in terms of your application lifecycle, capacity, and resourcing. A roadmap will prepare IT for upcoming changes and help it better manage impending projects. This will also allow the CIO to better serve the business and end users.

N = 127Source: Info-Tech Research Group

Roadmaps allow you to better achieve responsiveness, quality,

and control for potential problems with legacy applications

Companies with a roadmap are twice as likely to report high quality applications, four times as likely to report high proficiency in legacy apps management, and six times as likely to report strong business alignment.

+319%67%

16%

Roadmap

No Roadmap

Source: Info-Tech Research Group; N = 127

Happiness with App Quality

Page 8: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 8

One problem is that we never switch off any applications, we only create new ones. The result is a number of new applications every year that need to be inventoried and managed.

-Member of EPO

These steps will direct you in the roadmap development process.

Use these concepts when developing your roadmap: Inventory, Assess, Prioritize, and Communicate

Inventory. An exhaustive list of all the applications currently used or to be used in the near future.

Assess. Each application that has been inventoried should be assigned a lifecycle stage and assessed based on its current and projected ability to deliver value.

Prioritize. The assessment should illuminate actions to take, now take the time to prioritize those actions.

Communicate. Leverage the applications roadmap to increase your communication abilities with the executive and other IT managers.

Process

InventoryAssess

Prioritize Communicate

Page 9: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 9

To maximize the benefits of developing a roadmap, focus on these goals:

A good roadmap combines the application goalswith business requirements

3. Identify application functionality needed to enable business objectives

4. Resolve application weaknesses that are inhibiting business initiatives

Business-Oriented Goals

1. Identify applications that require improved quality and responsiveness

2. Plan for dealing with obsolete applications

IT-Oriented Goals

Application Objectives ProcessRoadmap

ValueResponsiveness

QualityPredictability

Talent Retention

An applications roadmap is a guideline that plans out your applications strategy over a

given time frame, usually 3-5 years.

With those goals in mind, consider the following framework to realize them:

Inventory/AssessDirectionPrioritize

Communicate

Page 10: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 10

Acquire the information needed for your apps roadmap by following these four stages

Step #1: Inventory/assessment of all current applications

Step #3: Lifecycle status for each application

Step #4: Estimate changes in the volume of transactions and in system performance characteristics

Step #5: Cross-reference system changes with expected business process/function changes and plan changes

Step #6: Prioritize actions so that scheduling of actions can be completed

Step #7: Communicate first draft of roadmap to executive

Step #2: Measure functional & technical quality of the applications

Inventory/Assess

Take an inventory to determine what you have and what you still need.

Identify actions that will help maintain or improve your ability to meet business needs.

Measure level of internal and external urgency to prioritize your actions.

After plotting a first draft of your roadmap communicate it to the executive for validation.

Direction

Prioritize

Communicate

Page 11: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 11

How much is it worth to feel happy with your application performance?

Budget time, not money to create your applications roadmap

The good news is that a roadmap can be done for zero capital investment.

The bad news is that it can take a significant time investment, much of which is expended up front.

Make your life easier:

Enlist your subject matter experts to cover their area of responsibility.

Set aside a roadmap week where IT emergencies are priority one and creating a roadmap document is priority two.

If one week is too much to ask, dedicate one hour per day to roadmap creation activities.

Keep it real. Do not insist on perfection, instead look at road-mapping as an iterative process. Get the rough sketch, not the final masterpiece.

Get a bird’s eye view. A roadmap is not the place to get down to exact numbers. It’s about getting the big picture. If your roadmap is too specific, it will quickly become outdated.

Once your roadmap is in place, the ongoing maintenance and review will take much less time. Especially if it is done at regular intervals.

Le

vel o

f S

ucc

ess

Level of Effort

Level of Effort

Po

sitiv

e I

mp

act

Level of effort is significantly correlated with Level of Impact

Level of effort is significantly correlated with Level of Success

Roadmaps Take Time, Not Money

Page 12: Build an-apps-roadmap-sb-sample

Info-Tech Research Group 12

Info-Tech Research Group Helps IT Professionals To:

Sign up for free trial membership to get practicalsolutions for your IT challenges

www.infotech.com

Quickly get up to speedwith new technologies

Make the right technologypurchasing decisions – fast

Deliver critical ITprojects, on time andwithin budget

Manage business expectations

Justify IT spending andprove the value of IT

Train IT staff and effectivelymanage an IT department

•“Info-Tech helps me to be proactive instead of reactive –a cardinal rule in a stable and leading edge IT

environment.

- ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co., LP

Toll Free: 1-888-670-8889