Ten 'antipatterns' that are derailing technology transformations

Adam Carnow

Excellent article from McKinsey.

Technology Choices

• Force-fitting technology solutions: Are you choosing technology out of context?
• Adopting cutting-edge tech that’s not fully mature: Are you adopting new technology that seems promising but doesn’t have a proven track record?
• Building out your own cloud infrastructure without sufficient capabilities: Have you let security and regulation block your adoption of public cloud?

Technology road map

• Initiating big-system-replacement programs: Are you focusing on system replacement rather than improving existing systems in a way that is faster and more cost-effective?
• Focusing on architecture and tooling improvements without enhancing process and delivery discipline: Did you re-architect and implement new tooling but forget to adapt the delivery processes?

Technology management

• Focusing on outputs rather than business outcomes: Are your technologists focused on output instead of business/technology outcome?
• Managing IT purely for cost: Are you sacrificing significant value by overindexing on price and cost?
• Investing in developing new platforms without involving the business: Is your primary focus platform development instead of platform adoption by the business?

Managing technologists

• Outsourcing your core value streams: Are vendors doing the work that creates the most value for your business
• Building up an army of managers rather than developing an engineering culture: Do you value your managers more than your engineers?

Antipatterns that are derailing technology transformations | McKinsey