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You may not have noticed but in today's rapidly moving world of IT, there are new technological advancements being made every day and technology is more accessible and affordable than ever before. But with more options and expectations from the resulting technology, many businesses are struggling to keep up, and are becoming paralysed by their inability to take the first step in the pursuit of apparently relentless change.

To help overcome this barrier, as well as the complexities associated with new IT systems, speed of technological change and the potentially damaging effects of, for example, a software glitch, businesses need to make sure quality assurance is a priority from the outset and not an afterthought. It can help to ensure a project's success.

There are three main areas to address when taking that vital first step to embrace IT change and its many benefits.

BUSINESS AND IT MUST BE ALIGNED
It might seem obvious but it's a crucial step in ensuring the success of software projects; make sure that everyone is working towards the same goal. If business needs and what IT intends to actually provide are mismatched, then the end result might not reflect the original requirements of the project or, worse, could fall at the final hurdle and fail to go live.

The focus must be centred on mitigating risk at every stage and using IT to deliver the business goals. This should be achieved by first assessing the quality of each business area to be implemented, establishing a road map for each area and ensuring transparency across the business.

AGILITY IS VITAL
Organisational agility is a critical aspect in managing successful IT change. The advent of cloud-based technologies has forced companies to become more agile in their approach to taking on new technology, since it allows small and multi-national companies alike to take advantage of new technologies, with budgets no longer a barrier to adoption. With consumer-led demand increasing at an unprecedented rate, organisations must be able to react more quickly and deliver IT change at a faster rate, lower cost and at little or no risk to the business. When all three of these aspects are aligned, then businesses are in a wonderful position to secure a successful IT implementation.

However, it is the risk aspect that is often overlooked or not thought through in enough detail. Reducing budgets often takes priority during development, with testing and quality left to the end of the project. Being made aware of problems at the go-live stage can have a detrimental effect on a business, leading to costly updates and potential damage to brand reputation. Processes should be broken up into small stages that are tested at regular intervals to ensure a smooth transition process and successful outcomes.

OUTSOURCE TO SPECIALISTS
In most situations, working with a number of specialist suppliers rather than a single larger vendor can be the best route to take. This might sound like a headache to manage, but by working with more suppliers, companies can have access to a greater pool of relevant IT experience and knowledge. Agility and flexibility will also be easier to achieve in a specialist supplier environment.

There then needs to be a central process for managing quality and transparency to ensure that vendors are working together to the same end and are integrated across all areas of the business, thus minimising the risk of failure.

Breaking down IT transformation into manageable chunks and putting quality assurance at the heart of the project reduces the fear of making the change. This means businesses can reap the benefits of new technology, ensuring they remain one step ahead.