{"id":117807,"date":"2024-11-21T10:47:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T15:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/?p=117807"},"modified":"2024-11-21T16:01:13","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T21:01:13","slug":"planning-for-strategic-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/planning-for-strategic-growth","title":{"rendered":"Planning for Strategic Growth: If You\u2019re Not Thinking Ahead, You\u2019re Behind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we approach 2025, many of us are focusing on strategic planning for the upcoming year. If you\u2019re part of an IT team at a small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME), this is the perfect time to reflect on where your company is headed and how your IT strategy aligns with those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this year, we encourage you not to stop at your team\u2019s assigned action plan. Instead, take a deeper look at your company\u2019s high-level goals. While they may seem far-off, they have significant implications on your IT game plan. Or, rather, your IT game plan has significant implications on your organization\u2019s ability to follow its path forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, your IT infrastructure can make or break your company\u2019s growth plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many IT teams don\u2019t consider this early enough. They end up deeply intertwined with tools that serve them now<\/em>, but can\u2019t support where they\u2019re going. Locked in with vendors that don\u2019t work the way they want to. Stuck with a pile of integrations so messy they can\u2019t untangle them without breaking everything. We\u2019ve reached a point where nearly everything<\/em> a company does, it does with technology. So if your technology can\u2019t support your company\u2019s growth, your company can\u2019t grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an IT leader, the idea that you<\/em> are the potential breaking point in your company\u2019s growth plan can be scary. But by nature, make-or-break means you could also be the one who makes<\/em> that growth happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk about a resume builder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog is all about how to be a maker and not a breaker \u2014 how to be the one that sets your company up for long-term success. (We hope to see that accomplishment on your LinkedIn profile someday.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve broken it down into three steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Start with the End Goal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We know, we know \u2014 this feels a little like reading the last sentence of a book before you start it. (Blasphemy!) But as soon as you have a good sense for where your company wants to go, you can start making better decisions for both the short-term and the distant future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look as far ahead as you can to understand your company\u2019s vision for the future. Ideally, this is clearly mapped out and you know exactly where to find it. More realistically, this might take a bit of detective work. There are many places where you might find some clues. Has your CEO provided you with a five-year vision? Does your company have plans to go public? Is there talk of onboarding new departments, or building out new products or services? These may all hint at directions for future growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p><\/div>

Note:<\/strong> \n

When in doubt, ask! Demonstrating your interest in planning for the future helps highlight your role in helping your company get there.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In general, you want to be looking years ahead. Five or 10 years are common time frames for company planning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if my company doesn\u2019t plan to grow?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not every company wants to grow. Maybe you\u2019re working at a local business that doesn\u2019t plan to franchise, a company that wants to get bought, or a small family practice that\u2019s stable and wants to maintain the status quo. However, just because your company doesn\u2019t want to change doesn\u2019t mean that the world around it won\u2019t change. Rather, the world around it will definitely<\/em> change \u2014 and your company will have to adapt to some degree to stay relevant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the little mom-and-pop shop down the street might still be just as quaint and untouched as it was when it opened. But if they\u2019re still in business, that means they\u2019ve probably modernized enough to at least list themselves on Google Maps and start using credit card readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, your company will have to keep up with technology as it changes. So, your job as an IT leader is to predict how<\/em> technology will change, and what your company will have to do to adapt to it. Some things to consider include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n