Digital Transformation Advisor
How can a external advisor in digital transformation help my company?
The alignment of the business strategy with the ICT strategy is essential for the competitive improvement of organizations and their productivity. Since most digital transformation projects are transversal to the organization, that is, they involve different areas, interests and different objectives, have professionals with experience, leadership, tolerance for frustration, teamwork, motivation to achieve goals and with Ability to understand the language of business and technology is essential.
Precisely in these concepts, as Systems Director (also called ICT Interim Manager or CIO), I get involved in organizations with the capacities described above, having worked in complex environments, with problems similar to their own, with verifiable and real results as throughout these more than 20 years of experience. My involvement usually has part-time characteristics, with marked and clear objectives, as well as with a certain duration, so that the reason for my work in the company has been resolved, the relationship ends or continues differently.
IT Plan Development and Digital Transformation
When a company considers that IT is not aligned with the business strategy, contact me to resolve this situation. In this case my work as Systems Director is done in 3 phases:
- Meetings with all areas of the organization, typically key users, process owners, management and IT, to understand the current state or alignment AS-IS (gaps, risks) of the situation regarding information technology. Meetings with business areas are key to understanding your current situation and seeing the distance that exists between technology and business.
- In these meetings, the short and medium term needs are considered (typically 3 years), proposing the most recommended scenario, which we call the TO-BE.
- Action plan. Once I have understood the business, the gaps, risks and problems, as well as the ideal situation for the company, I propose the realization of a Gantt chart with the key projects that the organization must carry out, time, resources and investment.
Asesor o Dirección TIC part time
When a company requires a Systems Director “CIO”, they must think about whether that CIO needs to be full-time or, as it happens more and more every day, companies, using Outsourcing, cloud-computing, etc. consider the very attractive possibility of set up a part time CIO. To carry out this collaboration, monthly goals are set, with monthly follow-up meetings, where each objective set must be met or redirect those that mutually in agreement with the client need to be dismissed. It is important to understand that in this modality the company has many advantages, among them a resource that does not increase the wage bill, objective, external, it works for clear objectives and, when it is not necessary, collaboration can be dispensed with. In this sense, I work in two ways:
- External Systems advisors, CIO part time. Good for the replacement of the previous one, or because the figure did not exist and was assumed by a third party (typically financial).
- Mentoring of the IT area. Support to the current Systems Director. Collaborating with the current Systems Director in strategy and organization of the area, among other issues.
Complex project external management
As Systems Director I have worked and work for both end clients and consultants in the direction of certain projects that due to complexity or other reasons, prefer to be led by an outsider.
Audit of the state of the company in maturity of digital transformation
Certain organizations ask me for a complete analysis of the state of their information technologies to make decisions in favor of business objectives. These audits may be related to the quality of service from the IT area to the rest of the company, service delivery through ITIL, IT management situation, gap between IT and business, information security, cybersecurity audits and ISO27001 or LOPD on all because of the arrival of the new regulation and compliance with the legal framework (COMPLIANCE).
My incorporation as an external Systems Advisor provides a senior and objective vision of the information technology situation, working with the best standards (ISO27001, ITIL, CMMI …), reducing the wage bill, with clear objectives to achieve, always helping to improve the alignment of the ICT strategy with the company strategy.