Over the last six months, there has been a buzz building in IT circles about bimodal IT. Creeping onto the agenda of Gartner events, trade conferences and boardroom catch-ups, we’ve even started to hear the phrase on the lips of Changepoint customers.
In a nutshell, bimodal IT manages two separate modes of IT delivery: one traditional, safe and accurate system, and a second more exploratory, agile, and speedy one. Taking this approach could help organizations incorporate an agile way of working into their existing IT structure. Despite the fact that this approach is still very much in the developmental stage, we have already seen motor giant Ford adopting a Bimodal approach to IT; the fact that it’s been implemented by a global player expecting a 2015 pre-tax profit in excess of $10 billion suggests bimodal IT could be set for wider adoption in 2016.
What does bimodal IT mean for PMOs?
If an organization is adopting a bimodal approach, the existing structure projects are conducted in could be forced to change as traditional IT systems are joined by newer or more experimental systems running in parallel. Project status updates might be delivered faster through the newer system, for example, or it might introduce a new form of reporting which delivers inputs not possible with the traditional system. To weather this storm, Gartner suggests that enterprises focus on the bigger picture: what are the business outcomes, and what value will be seen by the business?
This could mean a change in mindset is needed for individuals who place too much focus on following processes and don’t pay enough attention to the wider picture. While it could be a painful process for some in the short-term, a re-focussing of attentions will be very positive in the long run and encourage strategic thinking.
By its very nature, project management has traditionally been a very structured world, but those days are becoming distant memories as advances in technology continue to redraw the boundaries and alter the way that enterprises function. As part of this shift, internal projects are no longer siloed single journeys, increasingly playing a part in the bigger picture.
Changepoint’s Business Execution Management (BEM) approach has a critical part to play in seeing the entire picture. As evolutions such as bimodal IT encourage organizations to change their internal processes, keeping visibility of projects that are running across the organization will be extremely important. If PMOs can’t see the wood for the trees, there’s a risk projects won’t be completed in a manner that’s conducive to wider business strategy; the only way to thrive in these changing times is to clear the brambles so that the sunlight touches everybody’s face.
