The Information Technology department is vital for organizations and is, undoubtedly, part of their success or failure, mainly because of its operational and strategic importance.
Having clear and well-defined objectives for an Information Technology department enables its operations to be more effective and also to be able to strategically and technologically support the company.
IT Department Goals and Objectives
It is essential to write down a long-term strategic plan, which may include goals for 3, 5, and perhaps even ten years for the department and, most importantly, that these goals and objectives are aligned with the goals and plans of the organization.
IT Department Goals and Objectives
KPIs are better known as Key Performance Indicators,
Setting the critical indicators of the Information Technology area is very important to measure the performance of the team and the department.
The Information Technology department must create indicators suitable for its operations.
Some examples may be:
Percentage of projects on time.
This indicator measures whether or not the projects executed by the Information Technology department are completed on time.
Percentage of projects on budget
It is essential to measure if the projects are carried out according to the assigned budget or if they were executed over or under the budget, and it is part of the IT metrics.
Percentage of projects on spec
This indicator measures whether the projects that the Information Technology department executed meet the needs of the users or not. It is essential to point out that they should be considered destructive projects if they do not meet the specifications.
IT ROI – Return on investment of Information Technology projects
Return on investment should be an essential part of any information technology project. Indeed, in some cases, it isn’t easy to measure this indicator, but as far as possible, an objective and a goal should be set.
IT Spend vs. Plan
The Director of Information Technology must always keep track of the budget versus what was spent; each project must be measured similarly.
IT Technical Support employees per end user
This indicator measures the number of employees from the Information Technology department that offers technical support versus the total number of employees or users from the company.
Mean time to repair / recovery (MTTR)
This indicator refers to having a maximum objective to solve any problem, from repairing a comma server to replacing an end user’s computer.
Objective recovery time
This indicator has to do, for example, with the recovery time from a failure, for instance, of a server, of a computer for a user, of a crash Internet, etc., for which there should always be a goal and an objective in terms of time.
IT Department Goals and Objectives
The goals of the Information Technology department must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Based).
Specific
This indicator has to do, for example, with the recovery time from a failure, for instance, of a server, of a computer for a user, of a crash Internet, etc., for which there should always be a goal and an objective in terms of Time.
Measurable
They must also be measured, for example, on Time, on budget, etc.
Attainable
An essential characteristic of a goal is that it must be attainable, in other words, achievable.
Relevant
A goal must be relevant, which means that it must be related to the activities of the IT department.
Time-Based
An essential characteristic of a goal is that it must have a specific execution time.
IT Department Goals and Objectives
Planning goals and objectives should be set for each IT area, such as Applications, Technological Infrastructure, Computer Security, Technical Support, and IT Management.
It is very convenient to form a team comprising the IT Director, the IT Manager(s), and some key executives so that this strategic plan is as complete as possible.
Part of this plan must include a succession plan for employees leaving the company.
It must also include technological trends consistent with the company’s operations, which can obtain some benefit or competitive advantage.
For example, this strategic plan should include areas such as cloud computing and disaster recovery plans.
IT Department Goals and Objectives
It is also important to highlight that all the goals and objectives of the information technology department must be included precisely in the annual IT budget, which must be reviewed and approved by Management. Otherwise, they cannot be executed properly.
IT Department Goals and Objectives
Network Infrastructure
Install a modern technology infrastructure that offers easy access to information resources.
The network infrastructure must allow connectivity at all times and from anywhere to all users to all company resources from email, ERP system, telephone system, and other technological help.
Collaboration
It enables collaboration between people with IT solutions that foster productivity.
Cyber Security
Protect the integrity of information and technology assets by reinforcing cybersecurity strategy, offering a secure and reliable technology infrastructure that allows access to information quickly and safely anywhere and anytime.
In other words, Information security will always facilitate people’s work by enabling, as best as possible, access to the resources that the company requires, but with safety.
Cloud Computing
We are moving to a cloud computing model in a centralized way to improve IT operations and support the fulfillment of business goals in terms of the availability and security of IT services.
Mobility
Improve secure remote access to mobile devices for adequate availability of technology resources.
Applications
We ensure efficient and effective IT application performance for business operations and administrative services.
Data Analytics
Promote an approach towards decision-making through information analysis through the appropriate technological tools.
Help Desk Services
Improve the technical support service through a simple, fast, and effective process to solve the technological needs of all end users.
IT Management
Continuously improves IT management to transform the technology services offered to business users.
Set clear and well-defined policies and processes that align IT projects and techniques with users’ needs and the company’s objectives and goals.
HR
Build how to develop and retain employees with talent and experience in the information technology department.
IT Department Goals and Objectives
- Acquire, install, and update the following operations servers during the next year:
ABC-01, ABC-02 and ABC-03 - Complete the installation and training of the new financial system module in all business units for next year.
- Conclude with the server virtualization and optimization project in the data center for next year.
- Purchase and install 20 desktop computers and 35 laptops to replace obsolete equipment.
- Update the IT security platform virus protection in all business units.
- Develop an identity management system at the level of all business units to improve cybersecurity and facilitate access to systems and applications.
- Conclude with updating digital internet links and replacing copper links with fiber optics in the coming year.
- Finish implementing the sales system, providing the required platform for the missing route.
- Conclude with implementing the new contingency plan system in case of server failure.
- Conclude training all users on the new technological platform in Google Workspace.
- Install new video conference rooms in all business units using the Zoom Rooms platform.
As we can see, having the goals and objectives of the information technology department very clear is very important to be able to direct all the efforts and initiatives in Asia to the goals and objectives of the business.
IT annual goals and objectives must be reviewed and approved by the CEO or by the CFO, and previously they must also be discussed with the Directors or managers of the other departments that are involved, for example, Sales, Finance, HR, Production, Logistics, etc.