Similar to the moment when a student realizes they have an unexpected pop quiz, IT directors are seldom grateful for surprises. Let’s face it, nobody likes it when their time is cut short. In the world of technology, a surprise is a disruption. And a disruption is costly. Technology is a big investment, and for an organization to have up-to-date technology and a solid infrastructure built on safety and security, there can be no disruption to operations. In short, business leaders and IT directors simply cannot afford surprises; especially the kind that involve:
- Project delays (that were promised to be completed on time).
- System outages (that could have been avoided with proper planning).
- Brand new technology (that doesn’t deliver on ROI).
- Budget cuts (that halt necessary operational expenses).
- Natural disasters (that…well, naturally destroy company assets).
But thankfully, there’s always an IT roadmap template to help you navigate and find a way around those unexpected tech issues. There’s also football and a cold, refreshing beverage to help those “surprises” (and that overcooked turkey) go down a little bit easier.
But for now, let’s find out how an IT roadmap template can help you offload a little bit of stress this holiday season.
What Is an IT Roadmap Template?
An IT roadmap template serves as the outline or layout that helps you visualize and communicate your IT team’s plans and strategy. You can use an IT roadmap at every level of work; from communicating high-level technology strategy to visualizing individual projects and tasks. Quickly capture long- and short-term goals you plan to achieve and the initiatives or major themes of work that will help you reach them. Then show the more detailed work you will deliver (and when ), so internal teams can understand how the IT team’s work impacts overall business strategy.
Follow Your IT Roadmap (Going Cold Turkey Won’t Cut IT)
Last year, you were fully prepared and had everything planned out: The security budget, your backup and disaster recovery plan (BDR), your technology spend and details for upcoming IT projects; all the way down to timeline and who would be designated to manage each project. Unfortunately, all of that planning didn’t keep the surprises at bay. At this point, you’re better off going cold turkey and just tackling each issue as it arises, right? Wrong. All that’s going to do is cause you added stress and prolong any return on IT investments.
What you need is an IT roadmap template that can predict the future and provide the answers to questions you may have down the line; questions like:
- Don’t we have a backup in place?
- Are our backups current?
- It’s going to take how many days to restore our production server and data?
- How did our servers go down if we have redundant systems?
- What does it mean that our systems have been compromised?
- The patches to fix problem “X” broke “Y” and “Z”?
- Didn’t we test all scenarios before deploying?
- Do we only have one person in the company who knows how to do XYZ?
- The source code is only on one person’s laptop?
- What do mean there won’t be any sweet potato pie at Thanksgiving dinner this year?
With the right IT roadmap template to help with planning and preparation, you can avoid costly disruptions to your business and improve your digital transformation process. And free yourself up to make that family-famous sweet potato pie (and we wouldn’t mind if you shared some with the rest of us).
It’s Okay to Seek Guidance Along the Way
If your team and your technology are not all heading in the same direction, Afidence can guide you along a new path. Technology has the power to promote efficiency, productivity and security, all while keeping your costs in check. It’s time for your organization to plug into that power.
We can solve your challenges and help you stress less so you can achieve more. Our technology consultants and strategists at Afidence are happy to offer our expertise to help guide you on the path to a more comprehensive IT roadmap. Contact us or book a consultation to develop and implement new strategies that will revitalize your company and prepare it for an exciting future.
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