Traditionally, IT quality has been defined on very technical levels.
This involves structures, architecture models and complex processes, says Gerhard Botha, CTO of the PBT Group. "But IT is a service provided to organisations, and these traditional elements are just one component of the IT function."
He notes that there are various ways of re-looking at IT and the quality of services the IT department provides to users. "To accurately meet a client's needs, the definition of quality should be defined by the user and not by traditional parameters," he said, noting that IT should focus on what is important to the users.
If data is not displayed in a user-friendly fashion, and is not accessible how and when the customer wants it, the IT department needs to change its strategy, Botha said, adding that the requirements and specifications of each customer must be at the core of what IT is offering. Support and responsiveness is also important, said Botha. "IT must put themselves in the shoes of the customer to ensure they empathise with their situation. This is how it must be done should IT want to improve IT quality."
For Botha, a lack of understanding between IT and business is at the heart of many IT quality problems, calling for a management consulting function to improve communication between the two parties. "Adoption problems occur because people don't understand the system and the IT guys can't show the users how to use the system in a way they will understand," said Botha, describing this as a "service quality gap".
Botha acknowledged that many organisations cannot afford to have this additional layer of communication, but highlighted the benefits that can be realised as a result of improved IT quality. "If you work in an organisation that does not have a quality focus, customers will expose service gaps, which can result in reputational damage for the business," he said.
"IT needs to be thinking about how they deal with and address clients," he concluded. "Today, IT has no choice but to become more service orientated."
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