Frequently Asked Questions
A curated list of the most commonly asked questions
Digital Transformation
Why do digital transformations fail?
There are several issues, but the three most common are:
- The scope is too broad, with no collective understanding of what it will deliver. The transformation will always fail as there is no baseline to measure it against and no accepted moment of completion.
- Complexities of migration and challenges of legacy IT are underestimated.
- Poor communication and stakeholder engagement.
Why is my digital transformation taking so long?
Usually, one of three reasons:
- You’ve underestimated the challenges of your legacy IT and data migration.
- You’re trying to complete the transformation with just your existing IT team.
- The project is too complex, and you haven’t broken it into smaller, well-defined elements.
How do I get my business case approved by the board?
To get your business case approved, align it to your business strategy, or if this is not clear, align it to risk registers, corporate themes or departmental goals.
- Be clear on what the project will deliver and achieve, including what will happen if you don’t go ahead.
- Create baseline KPIs to measure your success; even simple ones will show you the progress you make when implementing your change.
- A clear picture of the financial implementation and ongoing costs
- Socialise with your executive in advance to get their buy-in. A business case becomes much harder to reject if everyone has contributed.
How do I start my digital transformation?
Getting started with your digital transformation is all about people rather than technology.
- Effective communication is a vital component of any successful team. When members are able to understand one another’s concerns, they can work together more effectively toward achieving shared goals. Achieving this level doesn’t happen overnight but it does require putting forth effort into understanding what your employees want so that everyone feels included in decisions impacting their own workplace environment
- Digital transformation requires executives, managers and frontline employers to work together to rethink how each aspect of the business should operate.
Download our Transformation Advisory Assessment playbook for more tips on getting started.
What makes a successful digital transformation?
Successful digital transformation combines these areas of expertise, technology, data, process, and organisational change capability.
- For the technology and data area, we need technological breadth and depth with great communication skills to simplify the complexity.
- To deliver process improvements and organisational change, you need courage, engagement, empowerment, and leadership.
Enterprise Architecture
How can enterprise architecture help fix my legacy IT?
Legacy IT can be a tangled mess, but that doesn’t mean you need to stay stuck in the past. With enterprise architecture services from our team at hand, we’ll help unearth what’s been holding your organisation back and give it an update so all aspects of business run smoothly!
What value will I get from enterprise architecture?
Enterprise Architecture takes a holistic view of your company’s platform to help you manage what is happening now and predict problems before they arise in the future. It will save £ millions as we decommission platforms and remove legacy apps that don’t fit your current needs; this guarantees an improved user experience with a defined operating model utilising your resources where necessary!
How does enterprise architecture help my digital transformation?
Architecting your platforms, data and user experience provides you with a bird’s eye view of where to start changing things. It also shows what needs updating in order for the business landscape as a whole be more efficient – and without wasting resources!
How do I break down my siloed data to improve my reporting?
By understanding how your data is created and transformed through the operations of all areas in which you’re involved, it becomes easier to drive value. To gain a competitive advantage, we can build an enterprise-level cloud repository that will allow you access not only current but also historical reports from legacy platforms while they are being changed or replaced with newer ones – helping optimise performance during this time period where change seems constant yet necessary.
How can enterprise architecture improve my security?
We get to the root of your security challenges by understanding how you use and integrate with your platforms. We can then identify any vulnerabilities that may be present, making sure they don’t put your business at risk!
IT vendor management
What are your top tips for success in delivering a good commercial solution?
It’s important to know exactly what you want before buying anything. If the supplier doesn’t have a clear understanding of your requirements, then they will be guessing and likely quote a higher price than necessary for this reason! Exit criteria need careful review since many suppliers will put in automatic renewals, whereby you could be signed up for another year.
How do I know if this IT contract is a good deal?
To stay on top of your game, you need to balance quality and cost. It’s easy when it comes down to laptop repairs because they are commodities, but in professional services, there can be more considerations that go into making those decisions based upon what will work best for each client individually- significantly if their needs vary greatly from one another! Be wary about any promises made, though; most deals don’t last long enough before something changes or breaks again, so take caution before signing anything without reading carefully beforehand
How do I run an IT RFP?
It comes down to knowing exactly what you want, carrying out a clear evaluation and being prepared to negotiate. We’ve run lots of RFPs at TTG, saving our customers nearly £ 10 million (with £ 3 million for one client alone!).
What is vendor management in IT?
Our vendor management team is here to help with everything you need, from advice on new contracts to assessing existing suppliers. We monitor performance and provide advice on contracts including areas where improvement might be required. We ensure that your business continues thriving without any hiccups along the way!
What is an IT vendor management framework?
The first step in our process is to work with you and your team, identifying the best way for us both. We will provide impartial advice on how we can achieve these services while also helping guide you through any vendor management requirements along this journey together.
Our goal isn’t just delivering good service- it’s crafting solutions tailored specifically towards meeting each customer’s unique needs
IT Operating Model
How do you design an IT operating model?
Your IT operating model is defined by three things
- The services that you offer
- What differentiates your business
- How you source those skills and capabilities
What are the different IT operating models?
As any business transformation requires, your IT operating model will change during the transformation process.
The skills and capabilities needed to transform successfully are not the same as those required to operate your platforms and systems.
When planning for transformation, it is essential to think about
- how you will innovate,
- how you will keep the lights on,
- how you will change/adapt to business opportunities.
There may be a need to insource, outsource or co-source certain IT functions to leverage expertise when needed. However, it is also essential to never lose control of understanding how your platforms and systems fit together. You can ensure a smooth transition and successful outcome by carefully planning your IT transformation.
What are the challenges with designing an IT operating model?
The common challenges with designing an IT operating model are
- Drivers for change are not understood.
- Technology & business needs change, so we need an adaptable future-proof flexible model.
- Never outsource the core of what you do and lose control
How can you know if your IT operating model is correct?
You will know when your operating model is correct since you will be a highly performant team that is able to innovate, implement change whilst keeping the business operational. We recommend testing your operating model to assess your performance.
How do you assess the skills and capabilities needed to determine your IT operating model?
To determine your future IT operating model.
- Establish a baseline of what internal and external skills and capabilities you have today
- Assess what services need to be insourced or outsourced
- Create your IT operating model based on services, map what you have and the gaps, which will produce your sourcing and training strategies.
Managed Services Provider
What is an MSP assessment?
Managed services providers (MSPs) play an important role in businesses today. They offer various services that can help enterprises to save money, improve efficiency, and better manage their IT infrastructure. However, knowing whether or not an MSP is right for your business can be challenging. That’s where managed services provider assessments come in. We work with you to understand the service you’re paying for and what you’re receiving for that fee. We then highlight any gaps and provide you with impartial advice. As a result, you can make an informed decision about whether or not an MSP is right for your business.
How do you assess a managed services provider contract?
Managed services are the practice of outsourcing the responsibility for maintaining, and administering, complex infrastructure and end-user systems. The service provider becomes an extension of the company’s IT department, providing comprehensive services that allow businesses to focus on their core competencies. When assessing a managed services provider contract, it is important to consider the following factors:
1. The Service Level Agreement (SLA): The SLA should spell out the specific services that are covered by the contract, as well as the levels of service that the provider is obligated to deliver.
2. Availability and uptime: Make sure that the service provider can commit to the levels of availability and uptime that are required by your business.
3. Response times: Find out how quickly the service provider can respond to incidents and problems.
4. Support hours: Determine what hours of support are available and whether after-hours support is included in the contract.
5. Reporting: Ask about the reporting mechanisms that will be used to keep you informed of the status of your IT systems.
6. Pricing: Managed services contracts can be priced in a number of different ways, so be sure to understand how you will be billed before signing on the dotted line.
By taking the time to assess a managed services provider contract carefully, you can be confident that you are making the best decision for your business.
What types of services do you assess from a managed services provider?
You want a Managed Services Provider who has both support and strategic capabilities.
Even if you do not need strategic capabilities now, you want a company that can take you to next-level functionality if and when the need arises.
Below are the areas you need to assess the MSP:
- Proven Ability to Deliver Strategic Assets and ROI
- Third-Party Vendor Relationships
- IT Budget Planning
- Disaster Recovery Planning
- Security Testing and Monitoring
- Daily Backups and Cloud Services
- Proactive Maintenance
- Employee Support
What are the typical challenges found with an MSP assessment?
Managed Services providers (MSPs) offer a variety of IT services that can be tailored to meet an organisation’s specific needs. An MSP will often be contracted to provide a certain level of service for a set period. However, over time, the quality of service delivered by an MSP can degrade, and it may become difficult for an organisation to determine whether or not the MSP is still meeting its obligations. This can be especially problematic if there is a limited understanding of IT within the organisation. In such cases, it is not uncommon for new executives who join the organisation to challenge the existing arrangement with the MSP. This can lead to an assessment of the MSP’s performance, which may ultimately result in a decision to change the contract.
How can you help me improve my relationship with my MSP?
As independent advisors, we have experienced first-hand the challenges and issues that can arise from both receiving and providing Managed Services. We often find that there is a combination of factors that cause difficulties for both Service Providers and their customers. By mediating between both parties, we are able to help simplify the complexity and agree on a roadmap for improvement. This includes identifying legacy IT issues that may be causing problems and working with both sides to agree on a plan for addressing these issues. In many cases, we are able to provide Managed Services that meet the needs of both Service Providers and their customers, resulting in improved satisfaction for all involved.
