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Director of I.T & Project Manager

Deisell Research Institute and Consultants

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Information Technology (I.T.) Transformation varies in meaning and concept across organizations and industries. Regardless of the variations, Debra D’Agostino, Deputy Director at Americas Economist Intelligence Unit, defines it simply as “(I.T.) Transformation refers to initiatives meant to

significantly improve the way corporate I.T. departments operate and support their businesses.” (D’Agostino, 2008) These transformations occur when I.T. departments revisit how they deliver their services to the rest of the company to support the business. When revisiting a company’s data storage service, a shortage in capacity for large files at company XYZ.inc seems to consume its support ticket system over time. An internal I.T. project would be to upgrade the storage capacity. A true I.T. Transformation would be to implement not only additional storage capacity, but also address and/or improve the way the company does business by including file revision detection, reporting file duplications to its employees, and providing zero interruptions in file transfers. It is about the value added to the business that allows an I.T. project to be considered a I.T Transformation. Making sure I.T. Transformation initiatives have successful outcomes is easier said than done. Challenges arise with how does I.T. address each business unit(s) needs and define significant improvements aligned with not only the I.T. upgrade and/or enhancement but also the company’s objectives. Company XYZ.inc feels an increase the storage capacity is needed for its users to resolve its problem, but might oversee to include increasing read/write speeds, reporting backend, and system to reduce duplicated files and errors. Without those extras, the upgrade/enhancement only address issue of storage capacity, if at all that. It added no real value to the bottom-line. As John Palinkas Senior IT Professionals points out “we should ensure that the Business Unit customers also benefit from this Transformation. This means we need to improve the characteristics of the service that we are delivering.” (Palinkas, 2011) Before initiating the I.T. Transformation, consider utilizing Lean & Six Sigma. Lean helps discover how to improve process speed and work flow, while Six Sigma identifies customer needs and process variation. Both together reduce the cost and time of service delivery dramatically, In addition to keeping the company’s current staff while expanding capacity and/or capability. Stepping back at company XYZ.inc, Lean methodology would identify that employees are creating duplicate files on their storage drive, and detected time wasted searching for the latest file version. Using Voice of the Costumer (VOC) tool XYZ.inc discovers that employees find the storage solution complicated, while pointing out that no two employees in the company save files to company standards. Six Sigma would also measure the time it takes an employee to search for a file on the storage drive.

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Putting all the pieces together, approaching an I.T. Transformation with Lean Six Sigma principles will, as Deisell Institute states “align macro business objectives with micro frontline deliverables and execution”. (Martinez, 2012) Removing processes that add no value streamline the overall solution(s) and lower operating cost(s). For XYZ.inc this means reducing the amount of errors its employee’s encounters providing customer’s outdated files by implementing an automated file revision application. Utilizing the (VOC) helps to

understand the gaps in training and system ease of use, at all levels of the company. Using the DMAIC methodology XYZ.inc is now able to take its I.T. Transformation to the next level and sustain it for years to come. Without increasing or reducing its work force, XYZ.inc I.T. Transformation now aligns with the business strategic plan to provide superior customer service by reducing errors while increasing productive across its business units.

How has Lean Six Sigma helped your I.T. Transformation?

Feel your I.T. Transformation could use a boost?

o Leave your comments at :

Find out more today!

Website: http://www.deisell.com

About.me : http://bit.ly/consultadonis

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Resources D’Agostino, D. (2008, 10). Cisco. Retrieved 01 09, 2013, from IT Transformation: Creating a strategy for

success:

http://www.cisco.com/web/SG/learning/cioseries/files/Cisco_IT_Transformation_Debra.pdf

Martinez, D. (2012). Deisell Institute's Philosophy. Retrieved from Deisell Research Institute and

Consultants: http://www.deisell.com/#!our-philosophy/c15y

Palinkas, J. (2011, 02 04). What Does "IT Transformation" Mean to You? Retrieved from itSM Solutions:

http://www.itsmsolutions.com/newsletters/dityvol7iss02.htm