Want to know the key factors to a successful cloud programme? Here’s what the cloud programme needs to take into consideration.

This article is part of the limited preview of the “The Missing Cloud Programme Roadmap”, a generic roadmap for any enterprise cloud adoption programme.

1. Executive Summary
   1. The Cloud and Enterprises
   2. The Missing Cloud Programme Roadmap
   3. Key Factors for a Successful Cloud Programme
      1. The Impact of Cloud
      2. The Cloud Programme
         1. The Classification
         2. The Impact
         3. The Risks
         4. The Structure
         5. The Execution
      3. The Organisation
      4. Humbleness for the Task Ahead
2. The Cloud and Enterprises
3. The Missing Cloud Programme Roadmap
4. A Cloudy Future

The Cloud Programme

The cloud programme, which delivers the delta leap and unlocks the cloud for the organisation, relies on the following key factors.

The Classification

Similar to the cloud itself, the general cloud programme also requires a realistic assessment of its impact on the organisation and the corresponding strategies, as it

• is an epic undertaking on par in magnitude and impact with its potential
• is iterative in its very nature
• should not refrain from resetting or cancelling things (including itself!)

Especially in a programme of this size and impact, it’s nearly impossible to get it right the first time. Iterate. Reset. Cancel.

The Impact

The cloud programme has a seismic impact, as it

• touches upon almost every aspect of the organisation
• has and creates dependencies on almost every aspect of the organisation, ranging from technology and supporting processes to business processes
• is de facto an organisational transformation programme
• should as such ideally be embedded in a broader set of organisational transformation programmes

Prolonged support from the broader organisation combined with timely detection of problems and sufficient lead times for their resolution can alleviate some of the agony and substantially increase the chances of success.

The Risks

The cloud programme is exposed to severe risks where it needs to

• identify known and unknown dependency chains as early as possible
• resolve dependency chains and constantly monitor their status and resolution
• carefully manage the message and expectations of the programme
• avoid inter-human friction which most likely outweighs unprecedented technical complications
• control the rate of change and keep it at a sustainable level using key metrics, as the wave of changes may otherwise lead to the programme collapsing under the forces it unleashed

The cloud programme controls its own destiny. As long as it chooses to stay in control.

The Structure

The cloud programme requires a business case that provides a clear and realistic

• common understanding of cloud
• set of motivations for adopting the cloud
• set of expected outcomes for adopting the cloud

The cloud programme itself requires

• strong sponsorship, funding, and support from the broader organisation
• a scientific approach, actively looking for disconfirming evidence
• a data driven approach with a blameless culture
• discipline when it comes to collecting the necessary data, building the corresponding evaluation frameworks, arriving at decisions, and eventually publishing outcomes in the corresponding documents
• stringent governance and execution
• external help, if nothing else then to avoid the groupthink fallacy
• a people strategy that leaves no one in the organisation behind
• ultimately making the programme all about the organisation’s employees

The methodical structure and setup of the cloud programme allows it to initiate controlled changes with the help of skilled people knowing that the organisation is behind it.

The Execution

The execution of the cloud programme requires

• a realistic application assessment
• the identification of patterns to move
• the selection of the right cloud compagnon applications and teams to deliver them
• moving suitable applications or re-architecting them prior to go-live
• McPs to be defined, built, tested, reviewed, and retired after each iteration
• building the capabilities of the cloud platform iteratively and incrementally
• building everything as-a-service from the beginning
• building a cloud platform through the delivery of McPs that is
  • enterprise grade in terms of security, compliance, resilience, observability, supportability, auditability, usability, and maturity
  • integrated into the corporate ecosystem but still loosely coupled
  • leveraging the corporate ecosystem as much as possible
• patience; not every deliverable will be business facing but rather more about enablement for subsequent iterations

The iterative and incremental delivery approach especially requires a supportive organisation that appreciates the message and the expectations communicated by the cloud programme.

The Organisation

Find out more about it in the next article.

So, What Are Your Key Factors?!

While the above Worx for Me!™ when it comes to key factors for the cloud programme, you may have an alternative or better way.

Think this is all rubbish, massively overrated, or generally heading into the absolutely wrong direction?! Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn and teach me something new!

As always, prove me wrong and I’ll buy you a pint!