Why IT Pros Give Tech Transformation a Weak Grade

By Dennis McCafferty

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Why IT Pros Give Tech Transformation a Weak Grade

Most enterprises haven't even begun to transform IT—or are just getting started. A major sore spot: Lack of collaboration and alignment with the business side.
Unconvincing Commitment

Just 35% of frontline IT workers surveyed rated their company's ability to adapt to new, transformative tech as "good" or "very good," and 26% said it is either "weak" or a "failure."
Delayed Reaction

71% said their organization has not even begun to transform IT—or it's just getting started.
Poor Planning

83% of the IT pros said their company's IT transformation plan provides only general direction, needs updating or doesn't exist at all.
Separate Ways

42% said improved collaboration and alignment between IT and business is needed to make transformation a reality, and only 18% said their company has active cross-functioning teams.
No Teamwork

52% of the respondents said business leaders wait too long to bring IT into planning processes.
Maintenance Crew

82% said they spend at least half of their time troubleshooting and maintaining legacy systems instead of driving innovation.
Image Problem

Just 13% of respondents said the IT department is perceived by various functional leaders and business users as "strategic, trusted, efficient and collaborative."
Budget Barrier

43% said insufficient funding is one of the biggest obstacles to upgrading IT infrastructure, and 48% said it impedes IT innovation.
Other Obstacles to Tech Upgrades

Inadequate IT staffing, training and resources: 46%, Shifting priorities and business demands: 34%, Challenges with legacy system integration: 26%, Unrealistic expectations: 23%
Change-Driving IT Projects

Improving customer-facing services: 55%, App/product development: 45%, Migration to a hybrid IT model: 35%
Core Capabilities

52% of frontline tech workers cited IT services as a top strength of their department, while 48% mentioned network engineering/management.
Room for Improvement

47% of respondents said long-term planning remains a top weakness of their IT department, and 37% cited app development.
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Few front-line technology workers give their companies high marks for adapting to new, transformative tech, according to a recent survey from Business Performance Innovation (BPI) and Dimension Data. The resulting report, "Bringing Dexterity to IT Complexity: What's Helping or Hindering IT Tech Professionals," indicates that most organizations haven't even begun to transform IT—or are just getting started. A major sore spot: A lack of collaboration and/or alignment with the business side, as most tech staffers said business teams wait too long to bring IT into critical planning processes. This, combined with a lack of funding and other resources, results in tech departments spending too much time on legacy maintenance and far too little on essential advances that bring value to the business. "Instead of ushering their companies into a new age of highly agile innovation, IT workers are hindered by a growing list of maintenance tasks, staff cutbacks and aging infrastructure," according to the report. "All the while, growing tension between IT [staffers] and their business colleagues has proven a roadblock to the type of communication that fosters collaboration, innovation and true IT transformation. … The business and IT teams should meet in ongoing cross-functional teams that analyze business needs, existing capabilities, desired improvements, and the technologies, skills and funding needed to achieve mutual goals." A total of 200 front-line IT workers from around the world took part in the research.

This article was originally published on 2016-01-08

Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.