The Finer Arts of Golf and IT Management:
Smart Strategies for Both
In golf as in business, success comes through mastering fundamentals and executing on strategy. In both pursuits there are variables you can't control, and every move you make needs to secure a short-term win and set you up for long-term success.
On the golf course that means making decisions that lower your score. For IT execs, it means creating smart technology strategies that drive the most business value. Apply the following golf fundamentals to your technology strategies to turn high-impact opportunities into significant match wins.
Know the Course
Before you take your first swing, know what you can about the course and how it matches up with your capabilities. Some courses play more to your strengths or the strengths of your team—like driving the ball long or putting with precision. Look across your organization to identify your top opportunities as well as the challenges affecting your stakeholders, your processes, and your IT operations. You may need to help boost worker productivity or increase customer profitability and satisfaction. You may discover that your business processes require better efficiencies by reducing exceptions. Or you may need to contain costs in your data center. These are your high-impact opportunities—the holes that you are most likely to win.
Overcome Obstacles
Next, calculate the distance to the pin by estimating strokes and planning for obstacles like doglegs, sand traps, and water. This is the planning phase for tackling your high-impact opportunities. Course conditions and club selection are key. Effective managers are skilled at prioritizing projects by estimating benefits and how soon they can be achieved. Look at the resources, roles, skill sets, and technology that may be required to support your programs.
Any type and number of technologies may be involved. Look within your organization to leverage existing products in new ways. Connect the dots among the technologies and the high-impact opportunities you've prioritized. For example:
- Are you experiencing a growth in the number and type of compliance exercises at your business? Consider identity management or content management to streamline and reduce the cost of your compliance efforts.
- Is your business declining because critical applications go down or are not meeting service-level agreements? If so, application grid solutions can optimize resources and keep your systems running to meet your business needs.
- Are you looking to boost worker productivity in light of recent downsizing measures? Look to portal and enterprise 2.0 solutions to connect workers in new ways, empower users, and reduce the burden on IT.
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
The advantage of a great drive may be eliminated if your chipping and putting aren't up to par. Keep score and refine your game throughout the 18 holes. If it's a team match, discuss your strategies and plans every hole. Executing a smart technology strategy requires communication across business and IT, measuring against your goals, and continuously improving and adjusting where needed. Long drives are satisfying, but don't underestimate the importance of chipping and putting. Continually practice and refine all three disciplines to win rounds. Remember, you drive for show and you putt for dough.
Enjoy your golf game this summer, and keep your golf fundamentals in mind as you practice the fine art of leading a smart technology strategy.
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