Duty of Care

Chapter 7How to Prioritize

As shown in the case of BlackBerry (see Figure 7.1), a focus on your unique, differetiated market positioning is a critical part of your strategic planning. Prioritizing your technology investments is a simple extension of the strategic planning work you already do. It should not be a separate, disjointed process. The investments that you need to make should be an integral part of your deliberations on core business strategies.

Figure 7.1 The Case of BlackBerry

It is not uncommon for strategy presentations to the board to be developed by the teams responsible for sales, with technology strategies tacked on to support the story. Look for overt alignment of technology investments and specific outcomes that with make a direct contribution to the business plan.

Ideally, board engagement in the conversation will enable clear and genuine technology strategies that build on your business priorities. Board-level technology strategy conversations can become an integral part of your current approach to planning. While you are thinking about market positioning, driving growth, or improving operating leverage, take a few extra minutes to talk about the technology investments that can contribute and gaps that might be impactful.

Start with Your Current Business Strategy

You are not investing in technology for the sake of technology. Your existing strategy is the ...