Enterprise pattern: Structuring IT Organisation (SITO)

How to decompose an IT organisation into smaller units?

Approach

1. Collect major IT-related functions (approx. 30-50) to be carried out at an IT organisation; potential sources COBIT, ITIL, PMBOK, PRINCE2, HERMES, etc. 
2. Draw a matrix of mutual relationships between those functions or group of functions (about 10) 
3. The relationships may be like “synergy” (functions to be carried-out rather together) 
4. The relationship may be like “prohibition” (functions to be carried-out by different units because of SoD principle, good practices, etc.) 
5. Each particular relationship has to be justified 
6. Find clusters in that matrix 

Example of  the relationship matrix:

Potential functional groups

• GOVERN – administrative coordination as the whole -- set and maintain internal policies, controls and processes
• ARCHitect – technical coordination – define structural changes (of core capabilities and services) in response to business and technologies changes
•  Make SAFE (added to be conceptually complete) – define policies concerning the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information services 
• Supervise building of core services and capabilities – project management (PM) Supervise operating of core services and capabilities – operations monitoring (OM) 
• BUILD core capabilities and services: application services, information services and infrastructure services 
• OPERate core capabilities and services – integration, pilotage and service desk
• EVALuate (as an independent control) capabilities 
• INTERNal support capabilities 

Define YOUR rules for decomposition

Depending on your current needs and concerns, define two group of rules.

Prohibition rules:

• P1 Separate doing and supervising/controlling – SoD 
• P2 Separate architecture/design and implementation – SoD, specialisation and quality at entry 
• P3 Separate implementation and operation – SoD, specialisation and quality at entry 
• P4 Policy vs applying it – legislation vs executive separation 
• P5 Specialisation

Synergy rules:

• S1 Close work (e.g. there is a primary / single client for services of that function) 
• S2 Architecture role to guide (an architect is a person who translates a customer’s requirements into a viable plan and guides others in its execution) 
• S3 Synergy between technical and administrative activities (how you do something may be more important what you do)

Example of relationship matrix

 

Arrangement of functions into smaller units (divisions)

BUILD-related functions are decomposed into three (process-centric, knowledge and infrastructure) due to specialisation.

So, the structure should be as shown below.

Thanks,
AS