An influential IT strategy – the one pager !
I spend a lot of time talking with IT leaders about their strategy and I am often asked, “how long should the IT strategy be?” My answer is pretty simple and it never fails to provoke a big response at first, followed by a settled calm. So I figured I would share it with you and hear your thoughts on it.
My answer usually goes something like this. “The IT strategy, i.e., the articulation of IT group’s critical objectives, essential means of achievement, and the core focus and direction for the upcoming year, MUST fit nicely on to one single page.”
Then, after getting the look that says, what ???, I add, “but if often takes writing a complete strategy of many dozens of pages before you can distill it down to a single succinct and crisp one pager.”
My point: Developing a strategy and getting it on paper sometimes involves a fair amount of work. But once the development is done, the essence of the strategy MUST be able to come out very clearly in one page.
The reason why this is idea is so hard for so many people to accept at first, is that most IT strategies are little more than a high-level technical plan with a list of projects. That’s not a strategy, that’s a todo list.
What seems to help IT leaders focus on articulating the essential IT strategy is using the following template or outline.
Part I – Key challenges / opportunities (optional)
Part II – Goals
Part III – Strategy / Strategic themes
Part IV – Key implications
Here are a few important guidelines to really make this work for you:
1. Start with Part II – Goals. This is the most important section. It grounds the entire strategy and it’s usually what is absent in most IT strategies. And don’t even think about writing “supporting the needs of the business.” That’s the reason you have a job.
2. You may not have one crisp clear strategy for achieving your stated goals. In that case, use the heading strategic themes instead.
3. Restrict yourself to no more than three of four bullets for each part.
4. Leave out Part I unless you have a very targeted and clear strategy. Otherwise it will get in the way and confuse the reader. It’s Parts II – IV that really matter.
5. Write for the CEO. When you craft the words, consider that the CEO is the audience for your one-pager not a technically savvy audience. The value of the one pager is to communicate with senior management.
Give it a shot. You will be surprised what will come out.
