Companies require a granular strategic approach to ensure that investments yield maximum returns. Datatechvibe spoke with industry experts on aligning teams, processes and vision for optimal tech investment outcomes.
Technology investments have the potential to significantly boost business growth, but their true value is realised only when it’s aligned with people and processes. So, how do organisations ensure that their investments yield maximum returns?
It’s important to first understand the business goals, identify the key stakeholders, assess the current state, develop a plan, communicate it, and monitor and adjust. It is also crucial to have a robust enterprise architecture to streamline complex systems and align investments with the intended business capabilities and evolving requirements.
Data experts Abdullah AlHantoush, Ayman Sieny, and Dr Jassim Haji provide key strategies to maximise tech investments. They emphasise the importance of understanding the business vision, developing a comprehensive implementation roadmap, and continuously monitoring and improving the technology.
Abdullah AlHantoush, the Executive Director of Data Analytics at SABIC
Tech investments can be a major driver of business growth, but they only deliver value when aligned with people and processes. Here are some ways to align people and processes to maximise tech investments:
Understand the business goals: The first step is to understand the business goals that the tech investment intends to achieve. It is also important that this understanding is delivered to employees.
Identify the key stakeholders: Once the business goals are understood, it is important to identify the key stakeholders affected by the tech investment. These stakeholders should be involved in planning and implementing the investment to meet their needs.
Assess the current state: It is important to assess the current state of the people and processes affected by the tech investment. This will help identify any gaps or areas that need to be improved.
Develop a plan: Once the current state has been assessed, a plan can be developed to align current gaps, people expectations, and processes with the business goals. This plan should include specific steps that will be taken to improve the people and processes.
Communicate the plan: It is important to communicate it to all stakeholders involved in the tech investment. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there is a shared understanding of the goals and objectives.
Monitor and adjust: It is important to monitor the plan’s progress and adjust as needed. This will help to realise the plan and to make it more dynamic and agile.
Ayman Sieny, Senior Vice President of the Enterprise Data Management Department at Riyad Bank
Making an effort to comprehend the overarching scope is at the core of the enterprise architecture function. This function aligns technological investments with the intended business capabilities and evolving requirements. Architects possess the ability to streamline intricate systems and adeptly convey both capabilities and limitations to all stakeholders. This process effectively addresses their concerns and fosters a shared comprehension.
Consequently, a unified understanding among stakeholders regarding technological applications is established. This is a foundation for recognising interdependencies and reaching consensus on shared objectives. A robust enterprise architecture cultivates cross-functional collaboration and the essential synergy to optimise technological investments.
Dr Jassim Haji, President of the Artificial Intelligence Society
The first step in any new tech investment is establishing the business vision and communicating the goals associated with introducing the new technology. It is important to consider the existing workflows, identify areas that can be enhanced, and focus efforts on delivering better outcomes for internal and external stakeholders. The key objective here is to align people, processes, and technology as an interconnected system that collaborates towards a shared business objective.
To effectively integrate the new technology into current processes, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the specific requirements for implementation. This roadmap should encompass the necessary people, processes, and workflow adjustments. The technology can seamlessly integrate into relevant workflows, enhance capabilities, and encourage greater user adoption.
Continuous monitoring, measurement, iteration, and technology improvement are essential.
These activities help identify gaps and refine the technology, making it more efficient. This iterative approach increases the likelihood of success in aligning people and processes, thus maximising the utilisation of the technology.
