A recent article from Fast Company entitled "Mission Critical: Can Design Save the World?" got me thinking. The article is about a small company that is applying design principles to solve long-standing social issues.  They are finding this approach particularly useful in areas where conventional institutions seem to be stagnating.  I couldn't help but see the parallels to what IT organizations can encounter and wondered,

Can Design Help IT Organizations Transform?

I'm no designer (although I think that I'll be doing some studying!), but applying design principles basically means looking at a problem, dissecting the underlying issues leading to the problem and then evaluating elements such as form, function and usability to develop creative solutions that eliminate the problem and add intrinsic value.  I couldn't help but feel that IT organizations could benefit from a similar approach.

It's an interesting concept, really.  Take the same methodologies used to create a better mop and apply it to much larger, organizational issues.  It's too early to tell how successful this approach will be on the world stage, but I believe that there is definitely something to be gleaned from this approach as we strive to transform IT organizations.  If you'd like to learn more, start with the Fast Company article.  It has nothing to do with technology, but offers plenty of food for thought and maybe some insights that you can use as you transform your organization.

It has been a time of great change in the world of IT.  IT organizations are under increasing pressure to simultaneously reduce operating costs, increase efficiency and improve responsiveness to the needs of the business.  In recent years, these pressures have led IT to study and adopt an entire range of quality frameworks, such as ITIL, COBIT and CMMi.  It has also been a major driver behind things like virtualization and outsourcing.

As these pressures continue, we are seeing IT organizations focus their energies and resources in three key areas.  Understand them and address them and you will be well positioned to transform your organization.