Business-technology strategies often become shelfware, even after hiring experts. Worse, implementations can fail or underperform due to flawed roadmaps and inflated business cases.

Why does this happen, and how can you avoid it? This article offers practical, jargon-free advice to help you succeed.

What do we mean by a business technology strategy

A business technology strategy evaluates if and how technology can enhance business performance.

Implementation details are outlined in a roadmap, which includes phases, tasks, outcomes, and resource types.

The business case quantifies benefits and costs, providing the expected payback.

For this article, these elements are collectively referred to as a “strategy.”

Shelfware refers to a strategy that, despite being developed, is not implemented but rather metaphorically “sits on the shelf,” gathering dust, thus failing to drive any real change.

Avoiding shelfware, practical advice for developing a strategy that delivers a successful implementation

This article assumes that initial efforts have demonstrated that existing technology cannot meet the identified need and that the new technology has been determined as feasible and could  significantly improve delivery capabilities.

Treat strategy and business case as a project: This advice is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago

• Done right: Develop and execute a comprehensive plan defining the project team including owner and sponsor. Include business outcomes, impacts, technology considerations, effort to achieve outcomes with timelines, support requirements, and realistic costs and agreed benefits. The approach should demonstrate the comprehensive method by which the work will be performed
• Done wrong: Approach it haphazardly, without dedicated resources or a clear plan

Objectivity: Like in science, focus on testing the hypothesis, not just proving it

• Done right: Incorporate your unique variables, confirm scope and gaps, define the strategic analysis process, and include evidence and/or agreement from your experts on any assertions or quantitative estimates
• Done wrong: Focus only on proving the positive and rush to implement, especially when a System Integrator leads the strategy to secure implementation work

Experienced staff for utility strategies: Use internal capability if available; otherwise, hire an independent consultant with relevant expertise

• Done right: Lead with experienced internal staff or an independent consultant for strategy through sourcing
• Done wrong: Use part-time inexperienced staff or a System Integrator (SI). Inexperienced staff may lack knowledge and control, while SIs might underestimate costs and inflate benefits, both leading to scope creep

Big picture: Ensure technology aligns with strategic business plans

• Done right: Show how the technology supports current operations and future growth, aligning with goals like reliability, affordability, sustainability, decarbonization, cybersecurity, and scalability
• Done wrong: Focus solely on solving today’s problems

Customer experience (CX): Think beyond employee benefits to customer impact

• Done right: Consider CX improvements like reliability, cost reduction, product improvement and sentiment. Implement mechanisms to capture and respond to customer feedback
• Done wrong: Only consider the customer during implementation, missing the chance for greater impact

Stakeholder engagement: Everybody wants to be heard, let them be heard

• Done right: Identify and engage key stakeholders at appropriate times. Align the project with their objectives and the broader business strategy. Understand the competence and capacity of the impacted business operations. Create positive marketing to encourage involvement. You want your stakeholders to think about your project in terms of how it positively affects them
• Done wrong: Reach out haphazardly or only when you need support, which can seem self-serving

Key feasibility tests: Identify critical areas early to ensure project viability and stakeholder buy-in, reducing wasted investment. Each utility is unique, with areas like Technical Feasibility, Cybersecurity, Regulatory & Compliance, and Support Model

• Done right: Engage these stakeholders early, understand their needs, empathize with their goals, and gather evidence on required mitigations
• Done wrong: Engage only after significant commitments, risking project failure

Technology and business strategy: Technology often overshadows its goal of improving business performance, especially after significant investment has been made in the technology

• Done right: Develop a business capability model aligned with strategy goals, defining scope and impact (e.g., improve, add, or remove capabilities). Include future capabilities and to the extent known, those supporting the new technology
• Done wrong: Focus on technology itself rather than enabling business improvements

Map technology to capabilities: Assess coverage, performance, and gaps

• Done right: Map technology functionality to your capability model. Identify gaps and create a heat map by comparing technology strengths to key needs. Add critical feasibility tests. This guides due diligence, feasibility, and impact assessments, highlighting risks such as limited use cases (maybe technology only considers electric services and not gas or water) or an inadequate support model (no local support)
• Done wrong: Let the sales pitch overshadow actual capability coverage

In summary, developing a strategy doesn’t have to be overwhelming, but poor execution can lead to it becoming shelfware or failing during implementation, risking significant investment and your job.

By following these practical steps, you can achieve a strategy that your firm supports and delivery that significantly improves business performance. Treat strategy development like a project, led by an experienced practitioner with clear outcomes.

Remember, success is about avoiding missteps as much as taking the right steps.

What will you do today to avoid these pitfalls and ensure your strategy’s success?