One way I look at IT is through a product lens.
Evaluating each product or service provided as something you’d choose to buy from the store. Sometimes you have options, sometimes there’s only one solution available.
This mindset stems from my time as a Product Manager at a digital services company, where I focused on e-commerce, business strategy, marketing, and design. I’d examine each product and service through the lens of customer value, sales potential, and relationship-building, all within constraints. Applying the same approach to IT can feel odd at first, but it can greatly improve the end result.
What Counts as an IT Product?
What constitutes an IT product? Any service or capability that enables work, including:
- connectivity and collaboration tools
- security controls
- development platforms
- speed of delivery
Each one serves different customer needs and use cases.
Who is the customer? Everyone at your company, plus external individuals and businesses you interact with (B2B and B2C).
Evaluating What Stays and What Changes
Your customers don’t get to “buy” everything they use at work, but thinking of a service as common as network connectivity as a product can go a long way.
Focus on high-impact IT products and services, evaluating their use cases, ease of use, flexibility for change, and overall value delivered. Once you pick one, ask yourself: “Does this deliver value? Is it easy to use? Can we do better?”
“Does this deliver value? Is it easy to use? Can we do better?”
Consider how you evaluate IT products at your organization: what’s your framework for deciding what stays and what needs to change?
