Strategic IT planning is key to stable, cost-effective IT— no matter what business size or industry. It controls expenses, virtually eliminates surprises, magnifies the value of IT investment…and brings peace of mind. Strategic IT planning is the primary delineator between a break/fix organization that views IT as a utility and one that employs IT as a competitive asset.
Denver-based Mission Critical Systems believes passionately in the process of strategic IT planning to align technology with business goals and processes. But this planning doesn’t end with a stagnant document.
After we create an initial planning process on paper, we test it for viability and shortcomings. Then, we revise as warranted to achieve IT that aligns perfectly with, and supports, business goals and needs.
Strategic IT planning in quarterly cycles
After years of experience, we’ve found our clients that use strategic IT planning will get better value for their IT investment, have more stable systems, and are more likely to think of IT as a resource instead of a hassle.
Our four-point process addresses strategic, front office and back office needs. Here’s how we get you to heroic performance levels:
Strategize and align - Every client is assigned a Director of IT Services (DITS) to manage planning and execution. The DITS works with the client to define current IT infrastructure status, problem areas, and goals to align the strategic IT planning with the business plan i.e. growth, moves, evolving needs.
Implement Plan – The objectives defined in the quarterly strategic planning session are pursued through well defined projects and routine tasks oriented around the established goals.
Evaluate results - We measure our results through help desk tickets, project completion, and employee productivity gains. If projects were over budget or under budget, what was the cause? Did those projects impact the company in the way we expected, and to the extent anticipated?
Plan for the next quarter - At the ensuing quarterly service review, we address successes and failures, and put into place needed improvements— beginning the process again for the next quarter.
We engage new clients through our Technology Assessment process—essentially, phase one of our strategic planning. For more information, please contact us.
Simply put, having MCS as our strategic IT partner lets me sleep better at night. MCS rapidly stabilized a mess of legacy systems and hardware that had become more of a liability to our operations than the asset they are today. Whenever an "emergency" IT issue has occurred, MCS has been immediately available to identify and resolve the problem. When [we] needed a complete overhaul of our phone system, and we needed it in days, not weeks, MCS met the challenge when others said it simply couldn`t be done.
Jason Bird Director, Finance National real estate firm
Simply put, having MCS as our strategic IT partner lets me sleep better at night. MCS rapidly stabilized a mess of legacy systems and hardware that had become more of a liability to our operations than the asset they are today. Whenever an "emergency" IT issue has occurred, MCS has been immediately available to identify and resolve the problem. When [we] needed a complete overhaul of our phone system, and we needed it in days, not weeks, MCS met the challenge when others said it simply couldn`t be done.