It’s all about ….

because it builds ….

ICT Engagement Strategy

Inputs

Outputs

Outcomes

Operational Excellence

Alignment and business transformation

Organisational strategy and competitive differentiation

Thinking

Organisational strategy

Organisational Strategy:

The determination of the basic long-term aspirations of an organisation, and the adaption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out the desired outcomes.

All steps in the strategic process are interlinked and vital for success.

VisionMission/PurposeCorporate PlanICT Strategic PlanBusiness PlansBudgets/ForecastsOperational PlansTechnology PlanHuman Resource PlanAccommodation PlanService Level Agreements

Portfolio/Programme/Project reportingFinancial reportingKPI Tracking

Products or ServicesClient satisfaction surveyProfit (loss)

Without strategic thinking the process becomes meaningless and misguided.

VISI

ONL

ESS

Without planning strategic thinking can’t be converted into actions and outcomes. LOST

Without action strategic thinking and planning is just shelf ware and worthless.

This significantly decreases trust in the process.

NOTHING

If considerable amount of resources are being consumed but no meaningful outcomes are delivered then whole process is a failure …. or, if evaluated properly, it can become a learning experience.

If failure is not tolerated then this can give rise to lack of trust.

FAILURE

Strategic Alignment:

Alignment is having consistency between aspirations, abilities,actions and outcomes

Albert Einstein

'We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.' 

Where the businessis today

Gap

Where Supply istoday

Aspirations

Alignment and transformation required

Where ICT will bewithout

transformation

Strategic Alignment

Planning

Strategic Thinking

ICT Strategic Plan

Business Plan

Divisional Operational

Plans

ICT Business

Plan

P3 Plans and Operational

Plan

Strengthens

SupplyDemand

Leads

Planning Process

ICT Planning

Planning Timefram

e

Long

Short

SupplyDemand

ICT Strategic Plan

CIO

Don’t confuse an ICT Business Plan with an ICT Strategic Plan!

– ICT purpose within agency– How ICT will contribute to delivering the ICT strategic plan and maintain its business as usual (BAU) activities

– Organisational considerations• Governance Arrangements• Organisational charts• High level structures• Corporate support• Geographic coverage

– Sourcing considerations• Centralised vs. decentralised• In‐sourced / out‐sourced• Vendor Relationships / Preferred supplier• Selection techniques

– Budgets– Technology and data architectures

– Short to medium term planning horizon

– Focussed on inputs and outputs

An ICT Business Plan includes…

An ICT Strategic Plan is:… a transformational blueprint depicting the road

to potential future… an agreement between organisational areas

with demands for Information Systems … and ICT who supply and manage

these systems

and it …… is part of the organisations strategic framework… outlines strategic directions and initiatives… includes high level aspirations and delivery

capabilities from the ICT Business plan… has a medium to long term planning horizon –

must match organisational thinking timeframe… is focussed on outcomes not inputs and to a

lesser extent outputs

What is a ICT Strategic Directive?A translation of organisational thinking into ICT strategy

What is a ICT Strategic Initiative?Course of action which is ICT related that leads to the achievement of the Strategic Directions.

What to include in a ICT Strategic Initiative?

• A mandate for an initiative should include:– Purpose– Description– Estimated cost– Delivery timeframe– Risks– Business benefits– Technical capability assessment– Organisational willingness score

• Not all initiatives might eventuate or get approval to proceed.

ACMA’s Strategic Thinking

Standard: To be, and to be recognised as, the world’s best converged communications regulator by the end of 2011.

Purpose: To make communications and media work in Australia’s public interest.

Mandate: To deliver ‘a communications and media environment that balances the needs of the industry and the Australian community through regulation, education and advice.

The ACMA has set its standard for performance against its strategic purpose, which in turn has been derived from the mandate set for the ACMA by the Australian Government.

Informed…. to be and to be seen as very literate in new technologies, industry trends and regulatory developments. The ACMA continues to build and maintain an up-to-date, relevant and specialised organisational knowledge base that underpins the ACMA’s evidence-informed approach to regulation.

Active…. to initiate projects and drive outcomes, communicating and collaborating closely with key stakeholders. The ACMA will ensure that it delivers quality products within tight timeframes that are relevant and promote the organisation’s strategic direction.

Agile… to identify and implement flexible, tailored solutions, quickly adapting to new and emerging challenges. The ACMA will continue to transform business and be responsive to meeting the needs of a rapidly emerging communications landscape.

Innovative…. to be proactive and explore new solutions and lateral connections that sit ‘outside the square’, ensuring that ACMA decisions are wherever possible informed by‘first principles’ reviews of options and approaches.

Influential…. to take a lead role as an aspiring thought-leader. The ACMA will continue to maintain a visible profile and seek to influence key stakeholders on major issues of interest.

Resilient… to meet increased demand for resources from an emergency, a sudden spike in demand or an unexpected project or requirement. The ACMA will continue to bulid its infrastructure or ‘organisational muscle’ to be prepared unforeseen events.

ACMA’s Strategic Thinking

Organisational Thinking

ICT Strategic Direction

ICT Strategic Initiative

Informed • Informed and contributing citizens• Customer focused and web enabled 

delivery of services

• Create interactive customer/citizen information web site.• Develop and deliver interactive website in line with customer

interaction review

Active • Consistent and well defined processes• Visible, integrated and controlled 

workflows

• Heritage Applications’ functionality should only be upgraded if required to be legislation.

• Establish Public Key Infrastructure for secure data sharing.• Establish single sign-on to applications. • Establish a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and install related

technologies (BizTalk).

Agile • Agile and fact based decision making • Establish common complaints handling process.• Create common customer support process.• Define corporate reporting and dashboard strategy.

Innovative • Visually depictive and easy accessible information both internally and externally

• Establish Geospatial Information strategy.• Establish Business Intelligence Competency Centre.• Reduce the number Database technologies.

Influential • Collaborative interactions and knowledge based advice

• Install and configure collaboration tool.• Continue the Information Management Strategy implementation.

Resilient • Resilient and available ICT infrastructure• Well governed, transparent, cost efficient 

and high quality ICT delivery

• Infrastructure environment cleanup.• Create redundant system environment and Disaster Recovery Plan

(DRP).• Upgrade field-based communication and increase the use of in-field

data collection and process automation.• Establish formal governance framework.• Accurately measure ICT’s performance levels and communicate widely.

Peter M. Senge

“People don't resist change. They resist being changed!”

Planning Steps• Understand your organisation’s strategic thinking.

– What are the vision and mission?– Who are the key external stakeholders – what are their demands on the 

organisation?– What are the risk profile of the organisation and its stakeholders?– What are the key demand priorities and objectives?

• Understand and evaluate the current demand portfolio.• Gather demand (transformational) requirements from all 

business areas.• Test the demand initiative against the strategic thinking.

Planning Steps (cont.)• Establish and gain ‘in‐principle” acceptance for each demand 

initiative.• Convert organisational strategic thinking to ICT strategic directions.• Compile the supply initiatives in response to the demand.• Test the supply initiatives against the ICT risk and security 

framework.• Create the transformation picture – write the plan.• Gain senior management imprimatur for the plan• Sell, sell, sell and sell some more.

ICT Strategic Plan

ICT Strategic Plan ICT Strategic CommitteeICT Strategic Committee

Portfolio CommitteePortfolio Committee

Programme/Project BoardsProgramme/Project Boards

ICT Operational Plan

ICT Operational Plan

Project Business Cases

Project Business Cases

Approves

Endorses

Endorses

Approves

Project Highlight reports

Project Highlight reports

Programme Summary Reports

Programme Summary Reports

Progress against ICT Strategic and operation plans.

Progress against ICT Strategic and operation plans.

Project TeamsProject Teams Project reportsProject reports

ChairmanChairman ICT Operational Report

ICT Operational Report

Project PlansProject Plans

Approves

Endorses

Approves

Portfolio

Managem

ent O

ffice

ICT

Endorsement and Approval

Actions

Planning for SuccessEvaluation Principles:•Business value that can be realised in productivity, reduced costs, and increased or maintained revenue.•Technical capacity includes the appropriate level of skills, experience, and resources available for the project.•Organisational willingness to support the project and implement the end products into day‐to‐day business operations.

Planning for Success High

High

Low

High

Technical Capability

Busin

ess V

alue

Organisational

Willingness

High

High

Low

High

Technical Capability

Busin

ess V

alue

Organisational

Willingness

Opportunity Matrix

Focus on the High Value Initiatives

Organisational

Willingness

High

High

Low

High

Technical Capability

Busin

ess V

alue

Project Fatigue

Outcomes

ACMA STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic Direction:Informed and contributing citizensStrategic Initiatives:

39

1.2 Create interactive customer/citizen information web site.

Completed. Awaiting executive endorsement.☺

3.6 Develop and deliver interactive website in line with customer interaction review

Project commenced. Completion scheduled for August 2011☺

40

2.5 Decide collaboration strategy. Completed.

☺

2.6 Continue the Information Management Strategy implementation.

On track.

☺

3.2 Install and configure collaboration tool.

SharePoint 2011 is installed and more than 100 sites have been created. ☺

Strategic Direction:

Collaborative interactions and knowledge based adviceStrategic Initiatives:

Visually depictive and easy accessible

information both internally and

externally

41

2.4 Establish Geospatial Information strategy. Report delivered – awaiting approval☺

3.5 Consolidate Geospatial systems in line with Business Process review Awaiting outcomes of initiative 2.4.

4.1 Establish Business Intelligence Competency Centre. BICC established. ☺

4.2 Reduce the number Database technologies. All databases have been upgraded to the lastest release.☺

Strategic Direction:

Strategic Initiatives:

Publilius Syrus (Roman author, 1st century B.C.)

“It is a bad plan that admits of no modification.”

Thinking

Continuous Improvement

ConsultConsult

Improve efficiency Reduce complexity

Well Governed ICT

Smart, Efficient Use of ICT Resources

Secure, Robust, Flexible ICT Environment

Effective & Valuable Internal Partnering

Summary• ICT Strategic Planning is not a stand alone 

activity• A Strategic Plan is a “whole of business”

document• Understand the organisational strategic 

thinking/aspirations and stakeholder requirements before developing the ICT response

• Plan for success• Ensure that the plan can be measured• Make it relevant and unambiguous• Sell it … deliver against it … gain trust.

Proverb

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow”

48

Live it and breathe it!

49

Questions