10 Principles and Related Questions for Modernizing Your Company’s Technology

Put Customer Value First
- Why do we need to enhance or transform our technology right now?
- What problems do we expect to solve?
- How will this change deliver value to our customers?
Simplify Your Architecture
- How can we best simplify our technology systems environment?
- Where is the modularity in our current system environment? Is it flexible enough for our needs?
- What data and functionality will be accessible — from customers, business partners, and operations — when we better integrate our system?
Design for Flexibility and Speed
- What aspects of our existing systems are constraining our speed with respect to change?
- Are these aspects necessary? Are there better ways to change direction while managing risks?
- What kinds of unexpected changes have we needed to deal with in the past? What do they suggest about future designs?
Engage with Your Workforce and Culture
- What do people need from the new IT systems to be productive? How do we know?
- How technologically capable is our existing workforce? What skills do they already have and what do they need to develop?
- What kind of cultural changes need to occur for new systems to be adopted? How do we create them?
Adopt a Services Mind-Set
- What are the essential technology services we provide to our organization?
- Are we organized and funded according to the outcomes we provide rather than the assets we manage?
- What other services could we offer in a cost-effective way if we were better organized to do so?
Plot the Journey before Starting
- What are the critical steps in our migration to a new system? Who will we bring together to implement each step?
- How will we adapt our plan to “course correct” when things don’t go as expected?
- Who needs to be part of our own powerful guiding coalition?
Organize by Capabilities
- What are the most critical capabilities that differentiate our company and provide value?
- How will our IT modernization enable and enhance these capabilities?
- What technological solutions and vendors fit best with these critical capabilities?
Be Agile and User-Centric
- Who will benefit most from the changes, and how are they engaged?
- How do our analytics improve our knowledge of their experiences?
- How do we pivot and change our approach when we need to?
Invest in Resources That Make the Change Stick
- Which IT investments are linked to the greatest return?
- How do we realign resources to support the transformation while running the business?
- What skills will be needed with the new systems, and how do we build them?
Partner Based on Shared Values and Trust
- What are we looking for in a partner? What values are important to us?
- What criteria will we use to ensure that our partner has similar values?
- In committing fully to a partner, how can we build mutual trust?