How can you ensure IT Operations has the resources to support IT projects?

IT Strategy planning is not an exact Science, but I have found that most Organisations struggle with resourcing when they forget to adhere to some of the Basic Planning Principles; -Allow room for Change: the Market is fluid and Business Priorities move with it. Leave room for your Team to adapt for when this (inevitably!) happens -Plan a Minimal Viable Strategy: don't overload your teams' capacity with new initiatives as they still have a day-job; maintaining existing Systems, System Updates, upskilling etc. -Understand the forecast for Business Growth: Once you understand your IT Current-State and your Teams are structured for success, you can then look at the Business Forecasts and prepare your IT Organisation with an informed view

Planning is the foundation of any successful plan !! It does not matter if you work in management, engineering or any other field. You need to have a plan to execute to have a favorable outcome and even you should have a contingency plan for any disruptions that might come during the execution. However, having a plan will not guarantee you 100% success of your projects but I totally recommend to have one instead of just fixing emergencies.

Agree with Conor that it's not an exact science. Project Management Tools (I use Monday.com) allow us to keep an eagle eye on our resources and make smart calls on the fly. What's more, spotting potential hiccups before they turn into headaches – that's what can help keep operations smooth and our stress levels in check IMO.

Prioritizing your project is really easy when you understand what is the most critical and important project the business has. This is why during the planning face you need to measure the impact of the project and how many/much resources you need to implement it. Once you classify them, it is time to take them to your leadership and cross check with the available budget for the year/term. This process might be a little be different depending in how your organization approves the upcoming projects but it is really important to understand that you need to choose carefully no everything can be done at the same time as the resources are always limited.

Communication is vital no only at the beginning of any project but also during the execution and at the end of it so the stakeholders are always aware of what is happening. Having a good communication is also great to express any concerns, doubts, or any kind of message to avoid any false expectations or misunderstandings. As well, if you transmit confidence and your message correctly to your leadership of why, when, who and what you need the specifics resources to support your IT team it will be much easier to convince and acquire them.