In large organizations, IT department often has difficulty communicating with management, and managers do not always understand what IT department actually does. Financial managers sometimes have reasonable questions about whether funds for IT infrastructure management are planned and used efficiently, while board members or shareholders question how IT contributes to business development and innovation.
BTT Cloud Service – IT Effectiveness Assessment (ITEA) helps to determine the current (As-Is) and desired (To-Be) maturity levels of the organization IT activities and IT services. Next, once the gap has been identified, practical recommendations for reducing this gap are being developed. The main goal is more efficient and more value-creating IT services for business. The ITEA methodology is based on the Innovation Value Institute – IT Capability Maturiy Framework, COBIT and practical 12+ years BTT Cloud experience.
Assessment is carried out in several stages. Familiarization with client’s activities, current situation, organizational model of IT activities and calibration of the ITEA questionnaire. Then, the information gathering procedure is carried out through interviews and discussions with representatives of the client from various areas. After data collection, information is analyzed and preliminary results of the ITEA evaluation are prepared. In the third stage, a detailed evaluation report and recommendations are prepared. The evaluation report is then presented to management.
„ The point of the ITEA is to assess whether IT department is doing what it has to do. Do they do as they should do: as defined in the organization’s internal documents, whether direct business needs are taken into account, and so on. “, says Tadas Vilkas, BTT Cloud Project Manager.
The case of AB “Vakarų laivų gamykla”
BTT Cloud performed “Vakarų laivų gamykla” IT department evaluation. The project aimed to identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations and clear tools needed to increase the maturity, efficiency, quality of IT services, reduce costs and, most importantly, create more value for business.
The evaluation was performed according to 5 main aspects of the organization IT activities: operational management, operational strategy, processes and procedures, technologies and data, and human resources.
The whole project included evaluations of the IT Services Catalog, ITSM Tool, IT Human Resources, IT Infrastructure and ITEA.
The evaluation of the efficiency and maturity of IT activities was performed by evaluating the following areas of IT activities:
1. IT strategic organization and management – How are IT activities aligned with business at the strategic level?
2. IT services portfolio management – How do IT services meet business needs?
3. IT project and service development management – How IT projects are organized, managed and coordinated?
4. IT services lifecycle management – How effectively are IT services managed in the life cycle, measuring and improving their usefulness?
5. IT service provision management – How are IT services organized and provided, how is the IT menu managed, and how is supplier management performed?
6. IT security management – How IT is managed and IT security is ensured?
The evaluation provided customer with insights and recommendations on what specific actions need to be taken to achieve more effective IT performance.
The recommendations were grouped into long-term and short-term activities according to the nature of their activities, and structured according to the main benefits for business: spend less, earn more, sleep more peacefully.
From related activities, 14 projects have been formed with the aim of ensuring greater added value of IT services for business. The projects are divided into very specific organizational and technological measures.
“A summary of the results of the IT efficiency assessment is provided to management in an understandable form, without the use of specific technological terms, emphasizing business-relevant aspects, benefits and planned changes. The involvement and support of shareholders and managers in this and such projects is a key criteria for success “, says Vytenis Sakalas, Head of Cloud Division, responsible for ITEA project management.
AB “Vakarų laivų gamykla“ recommendation
„ During the IT maturity assessment, BTT Cloud team patiently and thoroughly collected information and analyzed the current situation (human resources, processes, technologies). Smooth and flexible communication of the BTT Cloud team helped to strengthen IT position, refine projects that provide the greatest added value, identify the strongest and weakest areas of performance management. The team I worked with are professionals with exceptional competencies with both theoretical and practical experience in IT process, technology and human resource management. We are pleased to recommend BTT Cloud to those who care about the efficiency of their companies’ IT activities and the creation of added value for business. “, Laurynas Prikockis, IT Manager of AB “Vakarų laivų gamykla”.
