Initiating IT4IT: 5 key reasons why your organisation should start with an IT4IT Capability Scan

IT architects are often in the tricky position of hearing IT warning bells before anyone else in their organisation. They’re direct witnesses to outdated IT becoming an increasing liability, budgets spiralling as they grapple with mounting Change and Run costs and - to top it off - increasing client complaints.  

It’s at this point that many IT architects turn to IT4IT¹, the lifeline that they know can get their organisation’s IT capabilities back on track. But the IT4IT framework is vast, both in scope and potential. Truly understanding its power requires a certain level of technical know-how. And successfully implementing IT4IT represents a significant investment, both budget-wise and company culture-wise.  

So how can IT architects effectively present IT4IT to senior decision-makers, without it being dismissed as too ambitious, too complex, too expensive? By starting with an IT4IT Capability Scan.  

1. An IT4IT Capability Scan makes IT4IT manageable 

Over 3 to 6 months, our IT4IT specialists examine your organisation’s IT capabilities in detail, working with - not against - employees across all seniority levels to establish a clear as-is picture of strengths and areas for improvement.  

We pride ourselves on our research-rich, tailored and transparent Capability Scan approach. Crucially, we go further than the usual detached consultant’s assessment (that senior decision-makers scan and - often - shelve as unactionable). At DXC, we translate our IT4IT Capability Scan analysis into practical, achievable and bite-size steps forward.  

For the decision-makers that count, initiating your organisation’s IT transformation just became delightfully manageable.  

2. Low initial investment - both capital and commitment  

An IT4IT Capability Scan is a safe starting point for company decision-makers confronting the challenge of a full-scale IT transformation.  

The IT4IT methodology can initially be overwhelming, given its scope for comprehensively recalibrating your organisation’s IT processes, from Strategy through to Ops. But an IT4IT Capability Scan is a low-key initial investment, with a confined and short-term lead time. Low risk and delivering a tangible analysis output, an IT4IT Capability Scan unblocks the path to getting IT4IT on the agenda.  

Capability scan heatmap

3. A structured, priority-ranked, detailed route forward 

IT architects instinctively appreciate the value of IT4IT, as a repeatable blueprint that can be used to fine-tune their IT organisation via diverse projects and programs. For C-Suites, managers and finance brains, though, it may not be immediately clear.   

Mapping the route ahead is key for gaining decision-maker buy-in. A DXC IT4IT Capability Scan does just that, delivering a 2-year IT roadmap with clearly outlined quarterly objectives (epics). This roadmap provides direct insight into the value that implementing IT4IT will drive for your organisation.  

Laying out each expertly planned, manageable step, the roadmap is the Capability Scan’s most valuable output as it clarifies IT4IT’s tangible benefits.  

4. An agile approach  

In the fast-paced IT sphere, constant developments mean planning too far ahead is futile. So, we ensure the milestones populating your IT4IT Capability Scan roadmap remain agile.  

The initial epics to cover lay a solid, renewed IT foundation. Later epics are then designed to adapt, based on your organisation's development and market shifts over the roadmap’s 2-year scope.  

5. A clear pathway to the IT Big Picture  

The IT4IT Capability Scan is Senior Management’s frontline ally in achieving your organisation’s large-scale IT goals: harnessing AI and ML, say. But launching straight into those objectives, as IT architects know, amounts to forcing an organisation’s IT infrastructure to run before it can walk.  

First, the tooling, processes and governance basics need to be watertight. The Capability Scan maps out concrete, bite-size steps to achieving that functional baseline, laying sound groundwork for ambitious IT developments down the line.  

Our team also tailors each IT4IT Capability Scan to the client’s specific strategic direction, tying the Scan’s focus areas and roadmap epics into achieving the client’s goals across C-Suite, managerial and employee levels. 

Put IT4IT on the agenda with an IT4IT Capability Scan 

When it comes to implementing IT4IT in your organisation, an IT4IT Capability Scan makes the overwhelming manageable.  

Outlining concise, concrete and value-centric stages, your IT4IT Capability Scan maps an actionable route ahead, turning an ungraspable IT daydream into a tangible, feasible reality. To get IT4IT on the agenda, an IT4IT Capability Scan’s the smart place to start.  

Want to experience an IT4IT Capability Scan in action? Request a tailored demo here!  

[1] IT4IT is a registered trademark of The Open Group