Optimally designing IT/ORG support

The key task of IT/ORG management is to provide optimum IT/ORG support. This requires that the IT/ORG organisation is aligned with the sector, size, structure and strategy of the institution in the best possible way. In particular, the cost pressures of recent years, the call for sourcing readiness and the breakdown of the IT value creation chain lead to a wave of organisational changes. As a result, many financial institutes closed their technology-oriented, decentralised IT organisations, pooled CHANGE and RUN functions and have already gathered IT sourcing experiences.

These IT-focused changes are a first step but only insufficiently answer the question of how to provide optimum support to the financial institute. Co-operation with business units that are the “internal clients” is particularly decisive for the acceptance and success of IT/ORG. While there are well-established models for co-operating with external service providers, commonly used standards and best practices (such as ITIL and COBIT) only deliver little satisfactory solutions for designing co-operation with business units. In line with the concrete task assigned to IT/ORG, it has to build a partnership with the business units and play the role of both service provider and steering body:

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zeb/it.business.alignment identifies the following six success factors for optimally supporting business units:

• The interface between the IT/ORG function and the business unit is organised in line with the business models of the institution (with a view to similar functional requirements), i.e. each functional unit has exactly one main contact or key account manager in IT/ORG with regard to organisational and IT issues and demands.
• The key account manager is responsible to the functional unit for the implementation of functional requirements in IT/ORG solutions and represents the functional unit within IT/ORG and vis-à-vis external service providers.
• The key account manager communicates on content-related issues with the functional unit in a partnership of equals and is supported by a qualitatively and quantitatively appropriate IT/ORG team. With regards to skills, capacities and tasks, etc., the arrangements for the provision of support to business units takes account of the sector, size, structure and strategy of the financial institute.
• The IT/ORG function takes a global view of IT and ORG in order to implement functional requirements — structural, process and technical solution are balanced optimally.
• A binding governance model (with a view to planning and steering processes, governance committees, etc.) is embedded in the organisation for co-operation between business units and IT/ORG.
• The IT/ORG function responds to structural changes of the institution or business units by quickly and flexibly adapting the structural and process organisation. 

It is our understanding that the IT/ORG organisation follows these success criteria and aligns service production with the IT value creation chain. The planning/designing function acts as an intermediary between the business units and IT/ORG and pools demand for IT services in line with the business models.

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We support you during the targeted development of your existing IT/ORG organisation (positioning of IT/ORG, model for co-operation with business units/clients, sourcing options, etc.) based on our IT/ORG reference model and our expertise in the financial services industry. After taking stock of the status quo, we identify strategic directions for optimising your IT/ORG organisation and plan the next reasonable steps towards the target concept defined.

We will be pleased to support your financial institute in the implementation of the projects adopted so that you fully achieve the intended objectives.

zeb/it.business.alignment allows you to establish IT/ORG as the well accepted sparring partner of the business units and, at the same time, to create an expert service for assessing various functional requirements. Thus, enterprise-wide standardisation and optimisation requirements can be optimally balanced with the specific requirements of the business units.