What key stakeholders and teams are involved in the initial stages of updating your IT operating model? How did you kickstart the process?
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The biggest player in this process has been the CFO for the respective businesses we support. They can either be a tremendous advocate or a significant obstacle, especially when we approach the model from a cost perspective that often increases their expenses. It was crucial for us to engage with the CFOs directly. I worked closely with my Director of Operations, who focuses more on the business side of IT, including budgeting and finance, rather than running an operations team. Together, we aimed to create a highly transparent billing system.
We sat down with the CFOs to explain our objectives and the reasoning behind them. We detailed every aspect, from security and system support costs to IT help desk support, pass-through charges, software products, licenses, hardware costs, and projected expenses. It was essential to work closely with the CFOs to explain our intentions and the rationale behind them.
Additionally, we spent considerable time engaging with senior and middle management across different organizational parts to understand where they see value in our efforts and the challenges we might inadvertently create for them. I'm a firm believer in storytelling, so we focused on understanding and crafting the right narrative to gain buy-in and foster understanding. While some conversations were contentious, they were also transparent. We often had to walk senior executives through the costs, asking them to consider what they might want to cut or change in service levels. More often than not, they realized they didn't want to cut anything, which meant the costs remained unchanged. The key was ensuring they owned their demand while we acted as the supplier. Key stakeholders in this process have been the CFOs and senior to mid-level managers who are directly involved in the work we do.
It's the same for us. The CEO is our main report, and as long as he's on board, people generally align with the direction, which makes things relatively straightforward.<br><br>
For us, the primary stakeholders are the CFO and the Chief People Officer, especially when the process involves HR. However, in a more hierarchical structure, securing the CEO's buy-in is crucial. Once the CEO is on board, everyone else tends to follow suit, making the process smoother.