1st Edition

From Business Strategy to Information Technology Roadmap A Practical Guide for Executives and Board Members

By Tiffany Pham, David K. Pham, Andrew Pham Copyright 2013
    298 Pages 179 B/W Illustrations
    by Productivity Press

    298 Pages 179 B/W Illustrations
    by Productivity Press

    Whether you are a CEO, CFO, board member, or an IT executive, From Business Strategy to Information Technology Roadmap: A Practical Guide for Executives and Board Members lays out a practical, how-to approach to identifying business strategies and creating value-driven technology roadmaps in your organization. Unlike many other books on the subject, you will not find theories or grandiose ideas here. This book uses numerous examples, illustrations, and case studies to show you how to solve the real-world problems that business executives and technology leaders face on a day-to-day basis.

    Filled with actionable advice you can use immediately, the authors introduce Agile and the Lean mindset in a manner that the people in your business and technology departments can easily understand. Ideal for executives in both the commercial and nonprofit sectors, it includes two case studies: one about a commercial family business that thrived to become a multi-million-dollar company and the other about a nonprofit association based in New York City that fights against child illiteracy.

    A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS STRATEGY: CONCEPTS AND FORMULATION

    From Mission, Vision, and Values to Business Model
    Chapter Objective
    Mission, Vision, and Values
         Mission
         Vision
         Values
    Business Model
    Takeaways
    References

    Business Strategy and Its Formulation
    Chapter Objective
    What Is Business Strategy?
         Key Criteria for a Good Business Strategy
              Internal Consistency
              External Consistency
              Dynamic Consistency
         Some Other Important Considerations
              Trade-Offs
              Strategic Fit
    From Core Competency to Value Creation
         Core Competency and Value Chain
              Core Competency
              Value Chain
         Relative Cost Analysis
         Value Creation
              Some Special Perspective for Commercial Companies
              Some Special Perspective for Nonrofit Organizations
    Michael Porter’s Five Forces Framework
         Michael Porter’s Five Forces
              Bargaining Power of Suppliers
              Bargaining Power of Customers
              Threat of New Entrants
              Threat of Substitutes
              Rivalry among Existing Competitors
              Walmart and Porter’s Five Forces
              The MoMA and Porter’s Five Forces
         Leading Uses of the Five Forces Framework
         A Sixth Force
    Product–Market Growth Directions Matrix
    The Strategy Blade
    From Business Strategy to Financial Goals
    Takeaways
    References

    AN INTRODUCTION TO LEAN, LEAN AND AGILE ORGANIZATION, AND LEAN AND AGILE IT

    What Do We Mean by Lean, Lean and Agile Organization, and Lean and Agile IT?
    Chapter Objective
    What Is Lean?
    So What Do We Mean by a Lean and Agile Organization and a Lean and Agile IT and IT Roadmap?
    Takeaways
    References

    FROM BUSINESS STRATEGY TO IT ROADMAP: AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE (EA)

    An Introduction to Business Strategy and IT Alignment
    Chapter Objective
    Why Business and IT Misalignment Is Unacceptable
    How Can We Identify if There Is Such Misalignment?
    Why Has IT Never Been Clearly Aligned with the Organization’s Business Strategy?
    How Can We More Clearly Align IT with an Organization’s Business Strategy?
    Introduction to Enterprise Architecture
    A Look at the Different Layers of an Enterprise Architecture
    Takeaways

    More on Enterprise Architecture (EA)
    Chapter Objective
    EA Framework
         Enterprise Business Architecture
              Business Objectives, Goals, and Metrics
              Business Processes
              Team Structure
         Enterprise IT Application Architecture
         Enterprise IT Data Architecture
         Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
         Enterprise Security Architecture Layer
    Takeaways
    Reference

    FROM BUSINESS STRATEGY TO AN AGILE AND LEAN IT ROADMAP: THE FORMULATION PROCESS

    A High-Level Overview of the IT Roadmap Formulation Process
    Chapter Objective
    Step 1: Identify Current Business and IT Situation
    Step 2: Identify Future Business Strategy and IT Needs
    Step 3: Identify Business and IT Gaps
    Step 4: Identify the IT Roadmap
    Takeaways

    More on the IT Roadmap Formulation Process
    Chapter Objective
    Step 1: Identify the Current Business and IT Situation
         Current Enterprise Business Architecture
              Business Goals and Metrics
              Business Processes
              Team Structure
         Current Enterprise IT Application Architecture
         Current Enterprise IT Data Architecture
              Enterprise IT Transactional Data Architecture
         Current Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    Step 2: Identify the Future Business Strategy and IT Situation
         Future Business Strategy and Its New Enterprise Business Architecture
              Future Goals and Direction
              Enterprise Business Processes
              Team Structure
         Future Enterprise IT Application Architecture
         Future Enterprise IT Data Architecture
         Future Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    Step 3: Identify Business and IT Gaps
         Gaps in Enterprise Business Processes
         Gaps in Enterprise IT Application Architecture
         Gaps in Enterprise IT Data Architecture
              Transactional Applications
               Enterprise Business Intelligence/Analytics
         Gaps in Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    Step 4: Identify the IT Roadmap
         The Organization or Business Unit’s Business Direction and Financial Goals
         The Organization or Business Unit’s Overall Enterprise Architecture
         Technical Migration Plan
         IT Budget
    Takeaways

    From a Business Unit’s IT Roadmap to an Enterprise IT Roadmap
    Chapter Objective
    The "What"
    The "How"
    Takeaways

    IT and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Activities
    Chapter Objective
    Mergers and Acquisitions Evaluation Process
    IT Due Diligence Questionnaire
    Takeaways

    Change Management
    Chapter Objective
    Key Recommendations
    Takeaways
    Reference

    FROM IT ROADMAP FORMULATION TO EXECUTION

    Strategy Is Execution
    Chapter Objective
    Getting Organized for Execution
         Business and IT Governance Board
         Business Unit IT Steering Committee
    What to Review?
         Business Goals Review
         IT Roadmap Execution Progress Review
         IT Budget Review
    Revision to the IT Roadmap
    Takeaways

    Parting Thoughts

    CAS E STUDIES

    Case Study 1: Commercial Case Study: All About HatWare
    Current Enterprise Business Architecture
         Business Goals
         Business Processes
         Team Structure
    Current Enterprise IT Application Architecture
    Current Enterprise IT Data Architecture
    Current Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    Future Business Strategy and Its New Enterprise Business Architecture
         Competitive Analysis
         All About HatWare’s New Business Strategy
              Future Goals and Direction
              Future Enterprise Business Processes
              Future Team Structure
    Future Enterprise IT Application Architecture
    Future Enterprise IT Data Architecture
         Future Enterprise IT Transactional Data Architecture
         Future Enterprise IT BI/Analytics Data Architecture
    Future Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    Gaps in Enterprise Business Processes
    Gaps in Enterprise IT Application Architecture
    Gaps in Enterprise IT Data Architecture
    Gaps in Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    IT Roadmap Components
         Business Strategy, Direction, and High-Level Goals
         Enterprise Architecture
         Business and Technology Initiatives Prioritization
         Timeline
         IT Budget
    All About HatWare’s IT Roadmap Execution

    Case Study 2: Nonprofit Case Study: US Against Illiteracy
    Current Enterprise Business Architecture
         Business Goals
         Business Processes
         Team Structure
    Current Enterprise IT Application Architecture
    Current Enterprise IT Data Architecture
         Enterprise IT Transactional Data Architecture
         Enterprise IT BI Data Architecture
    Current Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    Future Business Strategy and Its New Enterprise Business Architecture
         Future Goals and Direction
          Future Team Structure
         Future Enterprise Business Processes
    Future Enterprise IT Application Architecture
    Future Enterprise IT Data Architecture
         Future Enterprise IT Transactional Data Architecture
         Future Enterprise IT BI Data Architecture
    Future Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    Gaps in Enterprise Business Processes
    Gaps in Enterprise IT Application Architecture
         Enterprise IT Transactional Applications
         Enterprise IT BI Applications
    Gaps in Enterprise IT Data Architecture
    Gaps in Enterprise IT Infrastructure Architecture
    IT Roadmap Components
         Business Strategy, Direction, and Goals
         Enterprise Architecture
         Business and Technology Initiatives Prioritization
         Timeline
         IT Budget
    US Against Illiteracy’s IT Roadmap Execution

    Appendices:

    The 10 Questions an IT Leader Should Ask His or Her CEO or Board Members
    The 10 Questions the CEO or Board Member Should Ask His or Her IT Leader
    Leveraging Social Media for Business Strategy
    Leveraging Mobile Technology for Business Strategy
    Leveraging Cloud Computing for Business Strategy
    The Business Case for a New Business Technology Project
    Buy or Build (Commercial Off-the-Shelf Package Implementation or In-House Software Development)?
    Glossary
    Index

    Biography

    Tiffany Pham graduated with a BA in Economics and International Studies, with Distinction, from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior to Harvard Business School, Tiffany Pham was in M&A Investment Banking on Wall Street and has since worked on strategic initiatives at multibillion dollar media conglomerates. In addition to this, she also serves on the Board of Trustees for Provincetown Film Society, the Board of Directors for No Limits Media, the Board of Advisors for Space on Ryder Farm, and the Business Committee for the New York City Ballet. Tiffany Pham can be contacted at: [email protected].

    David Pham, a prolific software creator, is the co-author of the book Business-Driven IT-Wide Agile (Scrum) and Kanban (Lean) Implementation, also by Productivity Press. In addition to this, David Pham is also a Sun-certified Java and Microsoft-certified developer. A technology entrepreneur, he has held top positions with a number of start-ups, first as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) with KTD Media Corporation based in New York and then as President of a Web-based company based in Rhode Island. While not working, David Pham enjoys spending time with his family as well as sharing his ideas with others. To this effect, he was the invited keynote speaker at the DevChatt Conference for software developers in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2011.

    Andrew Pham
    , an IEEE senior member, PMP, and PMI-ACP, is the co-author with David Pham of Business-Driven IT-Wide Agile (Scrum) and Lean (Kanban) Implementation. A seasoned IT professional and executive coach, Andrew Pham has trained hundreds of business and software professionals throughout the world in Agile (Scrum) and Lean (Kanban). Prior to taking on coaching as one of his main activities, Andrew Pham had held several senior positions in IT management, enterprise architecture, system integration, software development, and project management within many organizations of different types and sizes.

    From all that I have observed throughout the years, whether as President and CEO of companies or as an industry observer, I know you can only ignore the suggestions of Pham’s book … at your own peril. And it’s a heck of a lot less money than getting this same advice from an expensive team of traditional consultants; it’s faster and easy to implement the ideas in this book; and it will help your company to work more collaboratively and become more innovative.
    Mitchell Fox, CEO, WGA Global Marketing, Former Group President, Condé Nast Publications

    As Co-Chairman of the Board of No Limits Media … and as a former Editor of the Harvard Business Review, I had the great pleasure of reading Tiffany Pham’s book From Business Strategy to Information Technology Roadmap. The book makes a powerful case for the importance of any organization, profit-driven or nonprofit, to deeply connect its strategic thinking with its IT architecture and structure. Pham and her co-authors eloquently lay out their argument in a clear, step-by- step approach that guides the reader through the basics.
    Larry Rothstein, PhD, Co-Chairman of the Board, No Limits Media, Former Editor, Harvard Business Review

    I have very much enjoyed reading this new book and found it very realistic with a very logical and practical approach for how to create the necessary alignment between the business and IT organization. In our competitive world where IT can either be a strategic business enabler for competitive agility and advantage or a hindrance to the same, this book provides an easy to understand, yet profound, approach senior management can readily use. I recommend it to all senior management staff, both business and IT, and believe it should be considered as required reading in MBA programs.
    Michael Weiner, Strategy Consultant, Revenue Storm; Former Vice President, EDS

    What’s remarkable about Pham’s book is that it offers a detailed and systematic approach that feels completely intuitive. As such, one can learn from the very practical advice here, while preserving those all-important, if nebulous, instincts. From Business Strategy to Information Technology Roadmap feels especially useful because it understands deeply something paramount to artistry: collaboration. … In this book, Pham gets to the heart of both business strategy and IT, such that those with a strategy background can better understand the IT perspective and vice versa. She also provides an efficient, yet comprehensive, primer for the young entrepreneur trying to get a handle on what strategy looks like and how it interfaces with every part of the business. Reading this book at the genesis of my organization would have saved me a lot of time and headaches.
    Emily Simoness, Founder and Executive Director, SPACE on Ryder Farm

    My volunteer work, coupled with my full-time job on Wall Street, has shown me how organizational goals are helped or hindered by the quality of IT. With From Business Strategy to Information Technology Roadmap, I learned that Pham demonstrates the same interest in these two perspectives—from inside both the commercial enterprise and the nonprofit organization. In this very timely book, Pham and her co-authors lay out a concise, logical, and clear pathway that both business executives and IT leaders can use to intelligently derive an IT roadmap from the organization’s business strategy as well as integrate IT into the fabric of the organization, providing innovative, creative solutions to enhance business operations.
    Kiran Rijhsinghani, Chairwoman, New York City Ballet Business & Professional Committee; Vice President, Weiss Multi Strategy Advisers

    Faced with much uncertainty and economic challenges, businesses today need to be flexible and able to adapt to changing strategies and federal regulations. IT system design is a reason I hear all too often regarding why we can’t implement a new creative idea, whether it’s due to cost or archaic systems. Looking into the future, this cannot be the excuse anymore; companies need to consider IT design as a top priority and interlace it with their business strategy. This book gives a simple, systematic approach to technology design and business strategy—a must read to understand how to compete in the ever-changing global landscape. It emphasizes the need for business and tech minds to come together to develop optimal solutions, challenging the historic IT stereotype of acting like a silo and resisting large change. From Business Strategy to Information Technology Roadmap presents a simplified approach to moving your enterprise toward success and developing a long-term sustainable strategy and IT foundation.
    Stephanie Bartz, Director of Strategic Planning, United Healthcare

    What I like about Pham’s book is that it is easy to read with real examples of business case and business strategy. Likewise, I also like the overall organization of the book, which is very logical and easy to follow. I personally recommend this book to any IT executives who would like—or need—to build an IT or technology roadmap that can more clearly support his or her company’s or nonprofit association’s business strategy.
    —Adam Warner, IT Management, Education Service Center, Region 10