Just as athletes rely on meticulously planned strategies to outmanoeuvre their opponents, IT professionals depend on a playbook to navigate the complexities of technology projects. CIO South Africa spoke with IT leaders Dolf Smook, Josh Souchon, José Soares, and Tshepo Motshegoa to uncover their strategies for taking IT projects across the finish line.
CIOs position IT projects so that the key players can help the business grow, and are tasked with creating playbooks to guide their teams towards achieving business objectives.
The IT projects playbook outlines detailed procedures and best practices, ensuring every team member understands their role and how to execute their tasks efficiently. Miscommunication or a lack of coordination can lead to costly delays and errors.
Dolf Smook, the head of technology solutions at Empact Group, has implemented many IT projects throughout his career. He’s currently busy with two projects: documenting enterprise architecture (possibly via an electronic tool), and assisting with the reimplementation of an ERP solution.
However, the IT project that has had the biggest impact on the business is its tailor-made software solution, called the “Edge App”. Dolf, who personally designed and implemented it, expanded its capabilities to include tools for boutique data collection, a CRM, auditing, inspections, and even an electronic meal-ordering solution for healthcare clients. It also includes a project management module that’s aligned with the IT governance framework.
“This platform helped to improve the group’s customer retention rate from 90 percent to 98.6 percent across healthcare clients nationally and has become the business standard in terms of providing a ‘one client view’,” he said “Aligning IT projects with overall business goals is crucial to ensure that technology investments contribute meaningfully to our organisation’s success,” he explained.
There are no IT projects, only business projects
Josh Souchon, group CIO at Sasfin Bank, believes that any project executed within IT as part of the IT strategy should be determined in conjunction with the creation of the business strategy. To do this, CIOs first have to understand the business objectives.
A good example of this in action is Josh’s ‘Unitised costing within IT’ project.
“Historically, a lot of commercial decisions were being made without fully understanding the true costs of the initiative, as well as the full ongoing costs post-implementation. Introducing a new approach to finance teams was challenging, especially when it impacted the viability of several businesses within the organisation,” he explained. “We partnered with an SME and built a recharge model that recovers costs down to the actual utilisation of people, CPU, memory and storage disk space.”
This resulted in disinvestment in certain businesses and increased investment in others, as well as the sunsetting of several IT systems. “We focused on the why, checking projects against four categories: revenue generation, operational efficiency, risk mitigation and innovation. Some projects have clear ROIs, like revenue generation and operational efficiency, whereas others are simply insurance, like risk mitigation, or innovation.”
Seacom CIO Tshepo Motshegoa makes sure project prioritisation is driven by business value. “By working closely with stakeholders, we can identify which projects will have the most significant impact on the organisation’s objectives and allocate resources accordingly,” he said.
Tshepo also has a clear IT framework that uses balanced scorecards and similar tools to map out how each project supports specific business goals, and whether it’s improving customer satisfaction, increasing operational efficiency, or driving revenue growth.
He regularly meets with executives and department heads to understand their strategic goals and challenges. “This helps to ensure IT projects are aligned with the broader business objectives and directly address the needs of each department,” he said.
José Soares, director of IT at The Capital Hotels & Apartments, explained that all projects have a customer – internal or external. “You have to meet with your customers and keep them engaged throughout the process. A unified approach with a clear plan and expectations is the key to a successful IT project.”
Dolf developed a boutique in-house project management tool that the company uses to regularly update stakeholders on project progress, milestones, planned and unplanned deadlines, and any changes to the original plan. The IT SteerCo, governance framework, project management tool and KPIs help Dolf ensure a culture of continuous improvement within the organisation.
José echoed this: “As the project progresses and elements change, keep reassessing and asking yourself whether you’re still solving the problem or just adding technology.”
Today’s security solutions, tomorrow’s Trojan Horse
Understanding the potential impact of service interruptions or changes on the business can help CIOs rapidly deploy resources. “Effective risk management should be tailored to the project’s unique context,” José said. “Compartmentalising risk helps isolate and manage vulnerabilities. Ongoing evaluation is critical.”
Josh agreed: “Track your risk management across several dimensions, including scope, schedule, quality, risk, resourcing and budget, and monitor the overall project risk from one SteerCo to the next. Be very clear about what’s being done and what is required to get the projects back to a ‘safe’ status.”
At Seacom, managing risks in IT projects is crucial due to the complexity of its undersea cables and multiple points of payment (PoPs) across the East coast of Africa. “We start by identifying potential risks early and maintaining a comprehensive risk register,” Tshepo explained. “Each risk is evaluated for its impact and probability, prioritised accordingly and assigned to specific team members for accountability.”
He added that regular monitoring and adaptive planning are integrated into the project review meetings to ensure risks are always addressed and strategies are adjusted as necessary. “Risk management is a continuous effort throughout the lifecycle of the project. By embedding it into every phase of a project, we maintain the reliability and integrity of our infrastructure, ensure our IT projects support the business goals and safeguard against potential disruption.”
Freedom to innovate without fear of failure
According to Dolf, innovation in IT projects is crucial for gaining a competitive edge, by improving efficiency, adapting to change, enhancing customer experience, and managing risks effectively.
For Josh, innovation means learning from your failures and getting up to try again. “Innovation isn’t measured through how many times you fail, but through the contribution it makes to your business,” he explained.
Tshepo added that innovation plays a key role in driving the continuous improvement of Seacom’s infrastructure and services. “We actively encourage our team to stay ahead of technological trends and explore new solutions that can enhance our operations.”
This involves fostering a culture where creativity is valued and experimentation is encouraged. “For instance, we allocate time and resources for research and development, allowing team members to work on innovative projects or pilot new technologies without the pressure of immediate results,” he explained.
To support and implement innovative solutions, Tshepo adopts agile methodologies that allow for rapid iteration and flexibility. “We hold regular brainstorming sessions and innovation workshops where team members can present and develop their ideas. Additionally, we recognise and reward innovative thinking through various incentives and acknowledgement programs.”
By creating an environment that celebrates innovation and provides the tools and freedom to explore, CIOs can ensure that their IT projects are at the cutting edge of technology, giving their organisations competitive advantages in their markets.
“Giving people the power to drive innovation and bring ideas and solutions to the table allows for great advancement of IT projects,” said José. “No one person can have all the answers – let people bring their ideas forward and praise them for it among their peers, either verbally or in some instances with remuneration.”
The recent overhaul of The Capital’s guest information system is a good example of a successful IT innovation. “By developing a bespoke ‘captive’ portal integrated into our core platform, we’ve streamlined operations, significantly reducing time and effort for our front desk staff,” he added. This project has boosted team confidence and paved the way for further innovation in AI and data analytics.
From onerous to ownership
José added that people can quickly feel excluded when it comes to IT projects. “CIOs have to bring the team along for the ride. Ask them questions instead of waiting for them to ask you, this creates a comfort to participate in an area that is often regarded as too ‘technical’ .”
Tshepo conducts training sessions and workshops to enhance mutual understanding and respect for IT’s contributions to the organisation. “We emphasise the importance of IT as a strategic partner rather than just a service provider, which helps build trust and cooperation.”
Several factors contribute to fostering collaboration and confidence within IT projects, starting with how you compose your SteerCo and project teams. “Be as multidisciplinary as possible, from the executive sponsor to business and IT owners, project and finance managers, as well as risk and audit,” Josh advised.
Tshepo creates cross-functional teams that include members from IT and other business departments, ensuring everyone has a voice and a stake in the project’s success. “Regular interdepartmental meetings help maintain open lines of communication, allowing us to discuss progress, address concerns, and align our efforts with the overall business objectives,” he explained.
Josh concluded that regular engagement and giving teams a chance to be heard shouldn’t be overlooked.
