While most association CIOs and IT Directors have some vision for their future technology, most do not have a detailed technology roadmap that describes the key desired technologies to support future initiatives, the interdependencies, timelines, budget implications, etc. Many technology requests pop up suddenly from siloed business needs. This results in delays, system conflicts, budget issues, and wasted resources.
Given the rapid developments for information technologies, it is impossible to develop a long-term roadmap that is cast in stone. There will be necessary adjustments as new technologies emerge and business needs change. However, a well-defined plan that can be updated provides a thoughtful strategy for staying ahead of the technology curve.
Some elements of a good technology roadmap include:
- An estimate of the relative benefit of implementing a specific technology
- An estimate of the level of effort (cost & staff resources) to implement each technology
- An estimate of the phase in which a given technology should be implemented
- Notes regarding and dependencies, constraints, or associated risks
- A draft timeline showing phases and overlapping initiatives
If you need assistance documenting requirements or selecting technologies, be sure to work with a consulting firm that is not tied to a specific solution. Rather they should have experience with a wide variety of competing technologies and be able to help you assess the strengths and weaknesses relative to your unique needs.
More on technology roadmaps can be found on Wikipedia.
Comments