Service Delivery Transformation

Service Delivery Transformation

How many times a day are you told by your business leaders and CEO that the IT department needs to move faster? I would bet that one of your first thoughts is, “Let’s transform service delivery.” If you think that’s a silver bullet to solve the agility and speed to solution problem, you’re in for a surprise.

When asked by CIOs how to approach service delivery transformation, Wavestone US contends it’s more about the people and the process, including governance versus the technology that will drive a successful service delivery transformation. While technology plays a very large supporting role, the people and processes make it work. Transforming service delivery means a real mindset change in the IT organization and an openness to embracing automation, exceptional customer and user experiences coupled with appropriate security and risk management.

Part of the journey for transformation service delivery is to change the orientation of your organization from one that is a builder of solutions to one that is an integrator of solutions. It’s an evolution and not a revolution. It won’t change overnight, but building a transformation roadmap which defines the key organizational attributes, relationship management, governance and outcomes desired will allow the IT leadership to enable the necessary changes.

There are a number of prime candidates to start your service delivery transformation: End user services, DEV/Test infrastructure provisioning and management, and self-service catalog. If these services are outsourced, you’ll need to engage your service provider and delivery executives. If your agreement is coming due, it’s time to take a step back and think about the next generation of outsourcing and the outcomes you will need to be successful. By the way, outcomes do not necessarily mean more SLAs!

Today, start your journey by reviewing the outcomes your business leaders and CEO demand against your organization’s capabilities. Be honest. Evaluate those capabilities on the basis of: Build versus buy and integrate, speed of adoption, total cost of ownership (including technical debt), and adherence to standards and risk posture.

Measuring your progress and ROI is an important aspect of your communication plan. Service delivery transformation may include the use of unestablished technology or radical process changes. As such, calculating the ROI is not straightforward. Consider the following:

• When there is a lack of clarity of ROI, let the investment pay for itself. Not only the initial CapEX but the ongoing OpEX.
• When there is some clarity of ROI, consider managing like a venture capital investment. In this scenario there needs to be a platform for rapid iteration of ideas and allowing for quick failures.
• If a venture capital investment style is not suitable for your organization or culture, implement pilots to gain additional experience and data to support the business case and projected ROI. Make adjustments as necessary during the pilot.

To learn more about Wavestone US’ services, visit https://www.wavestone.us/capabilities/.