International Aerospace Tier 1 Supplier - IT Strategy and IT Operating Model

The aerospace supplier had shown a strong track record in the past. From a niche player, he has developed into a tier 1 supplier for the most significant aircraft companies. All essential corporate functions had to strongly scale and adapt over the last decade(s).

IT has been a crucial function in the past. Coming from a mid-size-company setting, the IT organization, processes, architecture, and governance must be designed for the new reality. The mindset and capabilities of the IT leadership, the team leaders, and specialists have to be prepared for the adoptions ahead.

Challenges and opportunities in IT governance, IT service management, a transformation to SAP S/4HANA, IT security, and the broadening of industry 4.0 initiatives are ahead.

The goal of the project was to develop an up-to-date IT strategy and IT operating model for the company's future, considering the following key points in particular:

• Align with the updated business strategy and rapid growth of the past
• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current IT landscape, the IT operating model as well as the context of architecture, IT sourcing, the project portfolio, and business / IT alignment
• Reflect the needs and priorities of the business functions
• Transform IT into a business partner at eye height with the other business functions
• Consider the identified challenges and opportunities in IT governance, IT service management, a transformation to SAP S/4HANA, IT security, and the broadening of industry 4.0 initiatives

The following approach has been taken to develop a new future-oriented IT strategy and IT operating model with the interim CIO:

• Interviews with the board, IT leadership, IT management, and representatives of business functions
• Analysis of the existing IT strategy and key documents
• External view on the as-is situation (IT-SWOT, maturity level subsumption, special topics)
• Development of an updated IT vision and guiding principles
• Development of target pictures in all elemental IT strategy dimensions
• Derivation of a strategic roadmap to operationalize reaching the defined target states
• Alignment with the board and detailing of the target picture for the IT operating model
• Finalization of the formal IT strategy and target IT operating model with the CIO

The project length for developing a new future-oriented IT strategy and IT operating model, as well as performing the finalization with the new CIO, was approximately 7 months.