What Is It?
An IT roadmap is a thorough assessment of how your business uses the technology you have on hand, the quality of technology you have and how adequate it is, and your future technology needs. This is the basis of a strategic plan that guides your company through hardware and software purchases, hiring decisions, and projects for the future. An effective IT roadmap will get every ounce of value from your technology. It provides a plan for your IT department that prevents reactive spending, which is an inefficient and costly solution.
Instead, your IT roadmap is aligned closely with your business goals so you have time to budget the cost, plan purchases and new hires, and get your technology online at the exact moment you need it. In a way, it’s how businesses manage and encourage growth. New product lines or services need technology, but when it arrives too early, you waste resources that aren’t being used, and if it arrives too late, you miss out on potential opportunities.
The solution is to work with a dedicated IT professional to develop and implement the perfect IT plan. Reverus offers a virtual CIO (vCIO) service that positions us as a member of your leadership team. This means your small or medium-sized business will now have the tools to transform your technology into a powerful asset.
The Most Effective Roadmaps Contain:
- A prioritized list of goals – When you explicitly state your organizational goals, they become easier to attain. This is because everyone involved with your IT plans knows what the finish line looks like.
- A timeline of projects and milestones – This element is what most resembles an actual roadmap, and it should have approximate start and end dates, milestones, and contingencies. It should be flexible enough to handle minor and major derailments alike.
- Justification for each project – The reasons for each project should be closely aligned with its goals, especially if the project will span multiple financial periods and budgets.
- Estimated costs for each project – Projects forecasted for delivery years from now do not have to be as detailed, but ones due within 12 months or so should have costs listed and categorized.
- Who is responsible for what – Each project should have a responsible party to quarterback the decision-making and provide overall guidance.
Your IT roadmap will allow your business to:
- Support IT discussions among top leadership.
- Anticipate costs and improve planning for projects.
- Understand how your technology influences your growth.
- Understand how your growth influences how you spend on technology.
- Act strategically to plan new products or services.
Reverus Has vCIO Services That Can Implement the Perfect IT Roadmap
If your business has been wrestling with technology or if you have no real plan for how your technology will grow with your business, call Reverus. We can be the IT partner your business needs to manage your current technology setup and help you plan for bigger and better things.
