In the process of enterprise digital transformation, IT and business are closely linked.
First of all, it is the key driver of digital transformation. In most cases, digital transformation is driven by technology, and the efficiency and productivity of enterprises are improved by introducing new technologies, systems and processes. IT departments are usually responsible for formulating and implementing digital strategies, including evaluating existing technologies and infrastructure, selecting appropriate new technologies and tools, and implementing these new technologies and tools to support business processes.
In addition, it is also responsible for solving cross-departmental integration problems and ensuring that different systems and technologies can be compatible and run smoothly. However, the success of the cause is also inseparable from the support and improvement of technology. It not only needs to understand and support business requirements, but also needs to turn business requirements into feasible technical solutions. This means that it must have a deep understanding of business processes and working methods in order to provide the best technical support for each link.
Therefore, a successful digital transformation project requires close cooperation between IT and business departments, determination of goals and methods, and joint efforts to achieve these goals. At the same time, digital transformation will also bring about organizational and cultural changes. This may require all employees to participate, accept new skills and learn new knowledge.
In this process, communication and education are very important, which also requires the cooperation of IT and business departments. For example, it can help employees adapt to new tools and technologies by creating training materials and education plans; Business units can help convey the importance of change and provide opportunities for employees to participate in this process.
In short, in the digital transformation of enterprises, the relationship between IT and business is cooperative. They are interdependent and complement each other, and promote the digitalization process of enterprises, thus realizing the long-term development goals of enterprises.
Skills for better collaboration between IT and business.
1, understand business
CIO needs to understand the whole business work and any existing or potential technical difficulties. By focusing on current business problems, CIOs can help management to develop multi-dimensional solutions to solve problems, rather than just providing advice from a technical perspective.
2. Strengthen management relationship.
In addition to working with the CEO, the contemporary CIO also needs to work with business executives in sales, marketing, finance, human resources and other key management fields. "Cooperation with these functional departments is essential to prepare for the next wave of opportunities." Sheri Rhodes, chief information officer of Workday, a software service provider for human resources, payroll and financial management, said.
3. Establish a cross-functional team focusing on key business areas.
Matt Mead, chief technology officer of SPR, a technology modernization company, suggested that in addition to communicating with corporate colleagues, we should also create a cross-functional environment and encourage the formation of cross-departmental teams in key business areas such as product development, marketing and sales. He said that this collaborative relationship will help IT departments to change from cost centers to strategic business participants. "Being a strategic partner ... will make the IT department a more valuable department and gain more trust and respect."
4. Take advantage of the observability of the whole stack
A key component in any IT tool kit is the observability of the entire stack. Monitoring the whole IT system can find potential differences before they become serious problems. "(This component) has an important function, which can directly give the impact on business results." Joe Byrne, vice president and chief technology officer of technology strategy of AppDynamics, a subsidiary of Cisco, an application performance management and IT operation analysis service provider, said.
5. Link the KPI of IT department with enterprise performance.
Bhagwat of Capgemini Americas Company said that IT is a relatively simple method to link the KPI of IT department with enterprise performance, which can make IT operation more relevant to business operation. With the advent of digital transformation, customer-centered has become the key to the long-term successful development of enterprises.
Bhagwat pointed out that when IT and business departments can cooperate properly, business executives can achieve their goals more effectively. At the same time, when they can cooperate properly, "CIOs can explain their budgets and specific plans more easily, because these plans are directly related to the goals of business stakeholders."
6. establish DevOps mode.
Although improving the collaboration between business and IT departments has been the goal for decades, there are still many differences between the two departments. Dan Graves, chief technology officer of Delphix, a platform provider of DevOps, said that by understanding some examples of the DevOps model, we can find inspiration for achieving better relations between departments. DevOps model combines cultural concepts, practices and tools to coordinate the work of software development and operation teams, which have never been able to work harmoniously in the past. "A company must consciously choose change and invest in transformation."
7. Consider composability.
Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, a provider of business intelligence and big data analysis software, believes that composability is a useful tool for collaboration between business and IT departments. Combinatorial data analysis eliminates business islands that hinder collaboration through a method aimed at providing more and deeper business insights. This method can also make it easy for business executives who are not familiar with SQL to obtain and customize data insight.