Laying the Groundwork for Cloud

Chapter 3. Plan What You Need to Achieve Your Goals

Your strategy cannot be delivered without a plan. Having a plan to handle the broad scope and complexity which can also handle bumps in the road is essential. In this chapter, I’ll explain some of the planning approaches you need to handle a program of change that has a vast number of objectives across all aspects of your operating model.

Transformation Planning

Available funding will directly influence the scope of your transformation planning. Some transformation changes may need explicit funding approval, whereas some may be absorbed within existing business as usual (BAU) budgets.

In terms of funding, there are costs associated with using internal resources, even if drawn from BAU budgets. In most large organizations, the cost of human capital is accounted for, and as a result, it is false to assume internal resources are free. That said, the allocated cost of an existing resource will be less than that of an external consultant. You need to determine how available a person with daily responsibilities is to take on transformational change before you involve them in the cause. Establish a resource model that details required competence, engagement, effort levels, and durations so you can productively discuss resource allocation with departmental managers.

Embarking on an assessment exercise is also fruitless without having a plan for closing the resulting gaps. Your planning needs to encompass the business processes for approvals ...