The Future of IT Applications in the Digital Age: Guide to Transforming Application Development and Delivery Published by Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech's latest blueprint provides resources to guide IT leaders in adopting a people-centric approach, reshaping application development to drive business value, and enhancing customer experiences in an exponentially advancing digital age.

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Propelled by generative AI and a wave of emerging technologies, the focus of IT delivery is undergoing a significant transformation. This shift is moving IT from a traditional, technology-centric approach to one that emphasizes robust capabilities and tangible business value. Addressing this new pivotal change and how IT leaders can navigate it, Info-Tech Research Group, a global leader in IT research and advisory, has published its latest blueprint, Exponential IT for Applications. The firm's blueprint provides critical insights and strategies to guide IT leaders in pivoting their focus toward creating people-centric experiences and fostering creativity and collaboration. This approach will help align IT more closely with business objectives and the evolving demands of the digital marketplace.

"Today, IT is set up to deliver applications and platforms to solve business challenges in a servant-like relationship. Consequently, this drives IT to focus on the minutiae of technology, responding to events and prioritizing the how versus the overall what and why," says Ari Glaizel, Research Practice Lead at Info-Tech Research Group. "As requests from the business become more frequent and complex, IT continually runs the risk of being left steps behind and misaligned with what the business truly needs. Introducing Agile and local product management is helping. However, this is inadequate given the wave of exponential technologies, such as generative AI, that is coming."

Info-Tech's blueprint underscores the need for IT departments to shift from their traditional roles toward developing capabilities that drive meaningful business value rather than focusing solely on the technical aspects of application delivery. This approach requires a deeper understanding of business objectives and a commitment to aligning IT initiatives with these goals, ensuring that IT contributions are both relevant and impactful.

"IT leaders and their departments must emphasize behaviors that contribute to meaningful business value, driven and informed by strong and robust relationships with all parts of the business," explains Glaizel. "This means focusing on the creation of people-centric experiences over code. IT's focus, as a result, will need to shift away from the day-to-day routine of development, deployment, and technology elements, leaving those concerns to platforms enabled by generative AI."

The firm's research emphasizes the importance of adopting a people-centric approach in application development. This approach will enable a greater emphasis on user experience and customer needs, ensuring that their applications and platforms not only address immediate business challenges but also contribute to long-term customer engagement and satisfaction. Furthermore, Info-Tech advocates for IT leaders to embrace emerging technologies, such as generative AI, not as replacements for human creativity and insight but as tools that can enhance and augment the IT department's capabilities.

Info-Tech's blueprint provides a strategic framework tailored for the new era of exponential IT. The framework is centered around three key actions that IT leaders can take to ensure their teams are not only adapting to technological advancements but are also at the forefront of driving these changes. The three key actions offered at a high level in the new resource are outlined below:

1. Deliver Autonomously: AI and ML Become the Rule, Not the Exception – IT leaders should manage portfolios that are increasingly delivered through embedded and ubiquitous AI/ML functionality. This approach requires IT leaders to integrate AI and machine learning as standard elements in IT delivery.
2. Creators, Not Coders: Deliver Organizational Outcomes via Natural Language – IT leaders must embrace and promote the "platform as a product" concept, utilizing natural language processing and low-code/no-code platforms. This strategy involves IT leaders encouraging a shift from traditional coding to enabling AI/ML-driven capabilities and solutions, focusing on creating organizational outcomes that align with business needs.
3. IT as Stakeholders, Not Order Takers – IT leaders must evolve business relationship management practices to reinforce IT's role as a key stakeholder in business strategy. This evolution involves IT leaders ensuring that IT is not just fulfilling orders but actively participating in shaping and contributing to business objectives while maintaining accountability for technology that drives business capabilities.

The new blueprint underscores the transformative impact of adopting a strategic, people-centric approach within application development and delivery. By embracing the key actions outlined in the blueprint, IT leaders can guide their teams beyond traditional roles, harnessing emerging technologies, such as generative AI, to drive business innovation and growth. This strategic shift enables IT departments to align more closely with enterprise objectives, enhancing their role from technical service providers to integral drivers of business strategy and customer engagement. In doing so, IT not only adapts to the rapidly evolving digital landscape but also becomes a central pillar in achieving organizational success and maintaining a competitive edge in an increasingly technology-driven world.

For exclusive media commentary from Ari Glaizel, an expert in applications, data & analytics, and artificial intelligence, or to access the complete Exponential IT for Applications blueprint, please contact [email protected]. 

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For more than 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to view the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group