The graphic below provides our view as to the place and purpose of an IT Strategy

The purpose of the IT Strategy is to enable the business strategy, set the direction of the initiatives driven from the business requirements and help the organization to create a competitive edge through the use of IT.

• The IT Strategy is the strategy a company pursues in terms of:
o functionalities of its information systems (application portfolio)
o information systems architecture & infrastructure and
o IT organization & processes

How can we create a future strategy?

• Our approach and framework will:
o confirm expectations with the key stakeholders
o holistically assess IT capabilities and their linkages to business imperatives, including non-technology aspects such as people, process, assets and geography;
o identify options (e.g. build/buy, outsource/in-source), priorities and recommendations;
o get to the “answers” quickly involving key stakeholders in a collaborative manner; and
o provide a strategic IT action plan that is realistic and implementable

Our Approach to Develop an IT Strategy

Phase 1

Ensure the buy-in of the key participants of the project into the objectives and the project approach

Objectives

• Mobilise the Senior Management and key participants, and confirm the objectives and approach of the project
• Confirm the scope and project logistics : list of locations to visit and personnel to interview
• Finalize the project team and precise role of each member
• Understand the customer's context (Business drivers, Strategy and plans, External business environment, Business and IT constraints)

Key Activities and Working Methods

• Present the objectives and the approach to the key participants of the project (Kick-off meeting)
• Collect relevant information related to Business Strategy, IT plans and current IT architecture
• Conduct interviews with a large population at customer (Executives, Management team, End users, IT people)

Deliverables

• Project Launching Communication Note
• Project quality plan that includes scope, project charter, role, detailed work-plan, committee meetings schedule, etc
• Focus interviews sheets and progress reporting format

Phase 2.1:

Identify business priorities and its IT impact

Objectives

• Identify the major business product and service opportunities/priorities for each business line based on a shared vision of the company's business strategy
• Determine the IT/IS impacts linked to business needs

Key Activities and Working Methods

• Analyse results of the focus interviews
• Review and analyse all related information on Business Strategy (business plans)
• Organise and facilitate workshops with business and IT managers to define target IT products and services needed to support business strategy

Deliverables

• Target Business and IT products and services differentiation matrix
• IT strategy guiding principles

Phase 2.2:

Assess the current IS/IT situation

Objectives

• Depict the current functional and technical architecture
• Analyse existing legacy systems and outline tactical approach for upgrading/replacing current systems
• Evaluate the ITD environment (development tools, organisation model, testing processes, tools and methodologies)

Key Activities and Working Methods

• Develop the existing IT architecture (functional and technical)
• Perform a system quality analysis of the legacy Application Systems from both technical and functional perspectives according to current and future business needs, whilst identifying existing IT components which require upgrade or replacement
• Analyse all existing documentation on the current IT situation (ITD organisation model, testing processes, tools and methodologies...)
• Identify improvement opportunities and evaluate its corresponding cost and benefits
• Organise and facilitate workshops with end-users and IT people on the legacy Systems

Deliverables

• Existing functional and technical architecture
• SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis on the legacy Systems
• Key recommendations on the current ITD environment (organisation model, testing processes, tools and methodologies…)
• Draft Business Case of main improvement opportunities

Phase 2.3:

Formulate the "state of the art" Oil & Gas technology vision

Objectives

• Identify the advanced Oil & Gas technology trends
• Provide a "state of art" of future technology vision

Key Activities and Working Methods

• Define the objectives and the scope of a survey focusing on technology trends
• Capitalise on our most recent references and knowledge

Deliverables

• Industry specific Technology Vision Survey that outlines best business practices

Phase 3:

Develop the IT target vision, evolution scenarios and business case

Objectives

• Define the IT target vision taking into account the specificities of each business line
• Build up the evolution scenarios and corresponding business cases

Key Activities and Working Methods

• Based on Phase 2 preliminary conclusions,
• Identify the legacy components to evolve or replace, the new technologies and packaged based solutions which might be used
• Identify the needs of realignment of the organisation within ITD
• Build and share straw model of evolution scenarios with both Business and IT managers
• Organise and facilitate a workshop with senior management to select the preferred scenario
• Target functional and technical architecture that reflects the proposed strategic IT environment

Deliverables

• Description of 2 scenarios with business cases showing the related stages in terms of costs and benefits
• Selection of a preferred scenario with a set of guidelines defining the functional domains requiring further investigation

Phase 4:

Develop the strategic Action Plan

Objectives

• Move from a defined IT strategy to a set of relevant projects aligned with the preferred scenario and addressing the IT organisation, architecture and the three other operational domains
• Prioritise the projects and define short and medium terms action plan validated by the Senior Management

Key Activities and Working Methods

• According to the preferred scenario, identification of the major projects and development of overall action plans (short-term and medium-term)
• Link the action plans with the budgetary figures
• Update the 3 year vision and related action plans based on Senior Management feedback

Deliverables

• Set of prioritised and described projects to be undertaken
• Transformation Map
• Short-Term and Medium-Term action plan validated by the Steering Committee