IT departments regularly have a larger workload than their capacity allows in the limited hours of a working day, leading IT teams to feel understaffed and uncertain of how to best balance their many projects, according Info-Tech Research Group, publisher of the Applications Priorities 2022 report.
Trying to satisfy all the incoming requests results in users and stakeholders getting a small piece of the pie and adds to dissatisfaction with IT. Prioritization is a complicated process, and by IT saying "yes" to one request, they may also be saying "no" to a multitude of others.
The following top five priorities outlined in Info-Tech's research should be top of mind for applications and IT leaders:
1. Integrated Product, Agile, and DevOps Delivery Practices – The Digital Delivery Umbrella
Product organizations are expected to continually deliver evolving value to the overall organization. Applications leaders should clearly convey the direction and strategy of a broad product portfolio to gain alignment, support, and funding from their organizations.
2. Application Portfolio Management – Application Rationalization and Modernization
Effective application portfolio management doesn't happen on its own. It requires assistance with supporting pieces such as application maintenance, application management, business architecture, optimized intake, value measurement, and end-user feedback. This will help applications leaders ensure their applications portfolio delivers the best possible return on investment.
3. Enterprise Application Optimization – Maximizing on Investment
In today's connected world, the continuous optimization of enterprise applications to realize a digital strategy is key. IT leaders need to take a proactive approach to continually monitor and optimize their enterprise applications.
4. Business Process Automation – Automated Processes
As industries evolve and adopt more tools and technology, their IT operating models become more complex. Process optimization and automation are needed to simplify complex operations and align processes with organizational goals. IT leaders working on digital transformation should understand that automation is the key to success.
5. Enterprise Application Replacement – Business-Driven Strategy
Accountability for enterprise application success is shared between IT and the business. Missteps due to a lack of strategy can cost time as well as financial resources. A business-led, top-management-supported initiative partnered with IT has the greatest chance of success.
The report provides recommended actions and templates for each of the priorities that IT and applications leaders can use to explain what they require their stakeholders to learn and understand.