Every organization knows that in order to ensure the success of any of its technology-driven endeavors, having a sound strategy in place is crucial. Having such a sound strategy involves identifying and understanding common strategic goals that would resonate throughout the organization, something that everyone across departments can relate to, thus encouraging them to work towards the success of these strategies, which ultimately means success for the organization as well.
Of course, strategy is just part of the equation. Having a sound strategy also comes with proper implementation of the strategy, wherein the deployed technologies should seamlessly align with the organization’s top business objectives. Management also plays a key role, ensuring that both strategy and implementation are well-defined and carefully plotted out such that it does not impede on the organization’s day-to-day critical operations
Hindrance by organizational gaps
It goes without saying that strategy, implementation, and management go hand in hand and are closely connected to one another in the organization’s success and growth. However, some organizations find themselves struggling to connect their strategies, implementation, and management together, primarily because of gaps that they are finding difficult to fill. Some of these gaps include:
Communication Gaps: A lack of clear and effective communication between IT leaders, managers, and staff
Resource Gaps: Particularly, a shortage of staff or inadequate training in place, though this could also mean a lack of needed technological tools or financial capabilities.
Strategic Gaps: A tech strategy that does not fully align with the overall business strategy
Cultural Gaps: IT departments in particular have a different culture than other parts of the organization, which can cause misunderstandings and resistance to change.
Implementation Gaps: Poor implementation from inadequate planning or the absence of the right skills
The value of a third-party partner
It is critical for organizations to immediately identify any gaps that can be detrimental to the success of their IT projects. Otherwise, these gaps can lead to a disconnect and misunderstanding between varying parties, which in turn results in poor execution, inefficiencies, siloed departments, and lost opportunities.
The unfortunate reality is that some organizations do not always have the resources or bandwidth available in-house that will effectively deal with these gaps. In such instances, this is where the value of a third-party partner comes, in the form of a managed service provider.
Tapping the services of trusted and strategic managed service providers who can create ample improvement and innovations in the organization’s IT projects can help ensure the success of its tech initiatives. Given their ample experience and education, they offer invaluable insights, perspectives, and resources that offer value to these projects that the organization may be lacking. They can also recognize and resolve areas of weakness or inefficiency and can provide additional manpower or support as a way to manage or mitigate potential risks.
What to look for in a partner
Especially for smaller organizations, they must choose the right third-party partner who can not only fill the needs and capabilities the organization lacks but also provide the needed performance and reliability to ensure the success of their technology endeavors. Organizations should make sure their chosen partner has the following attributes:
Proven track record of success in addressing similar issues in other organizations.
Deep understanding of the industry and the unique challenges both the business and sector are facing.
Ability to cater to a wider technology landscape.
Strong communication to ensure it can effectively collaborate with the organization’s internal teams.
Flexible approaches and the ability to create tailored solutions designed to meet the organization’s specific needs.
Transparent and collaborative processes to ensure teams are fully involved.
The ability to provide insightful and data-driven feedback, every step of the way.
A good partnership with a knowledgeable and reliable third-party managed service provider not only makes it possible for the organization to realize its goals but also provides greater clarity of its overall business strategy, enabling the business to not only focus and improve on its strengths and capabilities but also take advantage of the opportunities presented that caters to its strengths and capabilities and provide a great deal of growth potential in terms of revenue and operational efficiencies.