- John Chambers, PhD
IDC Tech Trends: Are you covering them?
The IDC 2021 IT predictions have been getting a lot of press lately. Per their usual, the insights are thoughtful, profound, and quite telling. And they are steeped in a sensible, auspicious view of the horizon.
The trends also challenge us to consider how we assess the opportunities -- strategically, programmatically, and technologically.
I've structured this matrix to highlight your management, analytical stewardship and your responsibility for covering the areas.
No surprise that your (remote) ”Location Strategy” is a common theme. They had not explicitly stated "Location Strategy," but the predictions and their commentary (link down below) are dripping with that prerequisite.
I was surprised, by the way, when someone asked me about my recent blog "Still Remote," telling me that Remote operations were already widely implemented due to COVID-19.
"It's already been managed," he said. “The need is covered.”
Hardly. The need is not covered.
What's been "managed" in firms, and verticals, was a mad scramble to run businesses when employees were suddenly forbidden to come into offices. Some enterprises had implemented Remote strategies long ago. But for many others, we've seen ad hoc heroics and running, without the time for a vetted and comprehensive strategy across the firm.
Sustainable strategies cannot be reactions.
Competitive leadership is not reactivity.
Our leading research partners prompt us to act, to instill the "proactive" and the "visionary" as key values. Competitive dynamics mandate that you compartmentalize strategies and launch the prerequisites for achieving them.
Delving into the IDC predictions, I've organized their list according to three required drivers. Each of the ten predictions should provoke Strategic Priorities; Program Umbrellas; and IT Business Management (ITBM) Fundamentals. The taxonomy highlights critical areas for our executive deliberations, and ongoing management.
Strategic Priorities-- Required strategies that would have commensurate tactical plans, which would lead to commensurate operational progress for your business and environment.
Is the Trend applicable to our business model, and are we proactive in planning for any shifts? Are the strategic imperatives embedded into our corporate/IT deliberations?
Program Umbrellas -- The overarching, formalized roadmaps that require a frequent, disciplined and in-depth review with the leadership team and, potentially, board.
As we prepare to evolve our strategies (above), do we have disciplined approaches for vetting the strategic requirements and tracking on the strategic imperatives? Are we managing our response to the trend, and illustrating/tracking progress?
ITBM Fundamentals – Mandatory day-in-the-life activities that run with machine-like rigor, constituting your foundational prerequisites for IT best practice.
Are IT practices and IT processes optimized to manage the programs (above), always prepared to adapt, providing virtual or physical infrastructure, applications, and competencies that will address potentially new ways of doing business?
For IT/Business leaders, ensure taxonomies, associated with the trends, are part of your strategic and tactical discussions and plans. Always.
Formally embed any and all of your research partners' deliverables into collaborative and cross-enterprise strategy discussions.
And be prepared to manage them as large or small scale initiatives.
Analysis of the rapidly changing environment is more than socializing the technology domains.
This is about transforming ways of work and leveraging all partner insights and analysis -- across all sectors, services, and products.
In a virtualized marketplace and virtualized competitive landscape, there is no room for waste. The competition also perceives the impact of the predictions and trends. Tomorrow's leading firms shall analyze and act upon them.
Prepare to adapt; prepare to lead.
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Here’s the link to the IDC predictions.
