IT Future What Is The Future Of IT Following The Recent Shift?

The real fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak will be visible for months. What has already changed, and where can I see more change happening in the future?

In this article, I’ll share my point of view on how IT will reshape itself as a result of the pandemic.

What impact can we see already?

We listened to our customers’ opinions. Here’s what we’ve observed so far with 100+ clients in 22 countries where we run projects:

• Major initiatives with long-term business impact are still running
• Short-term projects, with no direct revenue or operational impact, are on hold or canceled
• Other projects and initiatives are being postponed to Q2/Q3 of 2020.

The world has not stopped. New projects start with a focus on:

• Mitigation of the impact of COVID-19 (remote work, cost optimization)
• New services and revenue streams
• Changing the way of delivering goods or services (new sales channels, different delivery models).

We’re doing the same. We listen to our customers and try out new ideas we get from them. You can check out the results for yourself at https://services.predicagroup.com (we would love to hear what you think about it!).

This is how things stand.

What can we expect for the future of IT?

The risk in business is now higher than ever. It was always there, but it is more significant at this point. A few months ago, most organizations did not have to deal with uncertainty at such a fast pace. It was a lengthy process. Present circumstances are speeding it up.

Lengthy initiatives with an uncertain outcome are not an option. What you need is a quick way to try out a portfolio of projects. Verify results with data. Move to the next iteration.

We need your #opinion! Tell us, which #challenge do you consider the most important with the #cloud?
If your answer is not listed, add it in the comments. We look forward to hearing your thoughts! #DigitalTransformation #poll

— Predica (@PredicaExperts) April 22, 2020

How will the pandemic affect projects and organizations in the long-term?

This is where I see the most significant impact of the current situation on IT projects.

They become a business-generating activity

IT organizations need to learn how to implement and verify ideas. And they’ll need ways to do it quickly.

Organizations will work on project portfolios

The best way is to start small. Proceed with projects based on the initial outcome, from the MVP phase to the next stages.

Technology as a business-sensing mechanism

Data can show directions for new business areas. You need to know how to find them based on the data you have. There are many solutions which can help with this.

Budgeting and procurement procedures will adjust to this new cycle

What if your budget was set every 3 months now instead of once a year?

How to adapt successfully?

To run IT projects in this way, you have to use the right tools: both in terms of technology and your organization.

• Run quick projects using cloud technology. You can build a simple PoC product from scratch in hours, not days.
• Invest in data analytics and data operations. The information is there, but you can’t wait a month to see it.
• You need to manage a portfolio of projects across the entire organization. DevOps culture is a way to enable it.

What is the key trend to keep an eye on?

In IT, we will see the growing importance of FOUR Ops (xOps):

• DevOps, to use cloud and run projects in an effective way.
• SecOps, to ensure our business is secure and compliant.
• DataOps, to make sure we have the right data, and that we can trust it.
• FinOps, to measure cost down to transaction and return on cloud projects.

I will follow up on each of these areas in future articles.

In the meantime, I recommend you read an article from The Leading Edge Forum: Fly-by-wire Portfolios: A Guide To 21st Century Management Of Technology Projects.

You may notice it is dated prior to COVID-19.

Uncertainty was with us before. Our new circumstances accelerated a change. Will it stay with us?