Most who know me know I am a die-hard Denver Broncos fan. This year, however, has been a big surprise. With off-season turmoil of hiring a new coach, losing a pro-bowl quarterback and a handful of disgruntled players, it looked to be a lost year. I predicted that they would not win more than five games.
As they stand today, the Broncos are first in the AFC West at 6-1. Much of the success has to do with the coaches and the game preparation. Careful planning to exploit opponents weaknesses and play to the Broncos strengths have meant the difference. Even with what many would consider to be a pedestrian quarterback (at best), they have won all but one game.
We can learn something from this as we take on businesses planning for the year ahead. This is not a sexy topic, but one that deserves your attention whether you are a corporate CIO, CEO, or you run your own firm. 2009 has been a trying year for most of us. While some of our clients are expanding at a nice pace, most of us are re-tooling and reorganizing to stay in business and be ready for the upturn. Just like the Broncos coach, careful planning along with determined execution will mean the difference between winning and losing (your business) next year.
The same concepts that keep the Broncos on the winning side of the ball also apply to how you plan your technology spend for next year. Those with the foresight and confidence in their business model will leverage technology to cut costs, reduce risk and prepare a platform for growth. This is at the heart of WayPoint’s PredicitveIT.
Information Technology plays an important part in your planning. Through technology you can automate processes, just like a lever allows you to lift heavy objects. Those with the foresight and confidence in their business model will increase spending on programs that make their business more efficient and better able to take advantage of opportunities. That opportunity may be a competitor that goes out of business because they did not focus on a sound business model and business practices.
You can’t go it alone.
Your planning process should start with a survey the landscape to provide the necessary groundwork for next years plan. What steps make sense? Start with talking to current customers. Where do they think the opportunities and weaknesses are in their business? Next, gather information about your competitors where you can. You should also continually review trade journals and business periodicals. Talking to your upstream and downstream partners will also help you integrate your planning into the opportunities partners will bring. Put all of that information in front of your management team and develop mindshare on your immediate vision. Now the planning can begin.
Before you put pen to paper, bring one more valuable resource to the table: your trusted IT provider. Just like your accountant or lawyer, you should have a trusted IT consultant that stays on the edge of technology and understands your business. Just like the coach of the Broncos, WayPoints provides a planning process to our clients that is part of our overall PredictiveITTM services. WayPoint is constantly reviewing and testing technologies and solutions. As an integrated partner in our clients planning process, we can help you shape your budgets and planning to take advantage of the upturn to come.
Want to know more about PredictiveITTM and how your business can take advantage of the leverage of technology? Contact me at 602-635-1041 or abourne@mywaypoint.com