TBMC 2022 Day 3: Every Dollar Invested in Technology Must Deliver Value

The last day of the conference looked at how winning teams use TBM to ensure no investment goes to waste. Here’s what you missed.

It’s been a very full three days here at TBM Conference, and I’ve been happy to meet so many of you in person — TBMC 2022 has been a great shared experience! On this last day of the conference, our keynote presenters and discussion panelists addressed today’s biggest challenge — demonstrating the value of technology investments. Here are some of the highlights.

You can’t control the market, but you can plan for the future

John Wilson, MetLife VP of IT costing & performance management; and Wesley Eugene, partner and CIO at IDEO; joined Apptio CMO Allison Breeding to discuss business and technology leaders’ economic challenges and inflation mitigation areas. The main theme was “keep calm and keep going.” After all, we’ve all faced these pressures before and managed them. Today, the influences are global and external, but the playbook is the same as the one you used before.

The panel talked about growth opportunities when your competitors are being cautious. Eugene mentioned that the temptation in times like these is to freeze, sit in your chair, and wait it out. “Training, travel, and research and development are often eviscerated in this climate,” said Eugene. “We haven’t done that. We have a set-aside for the development of our people — you can’t give up on your people.”

Everyone on the panel agreed that this is a time of great opportunity. Many companies we love and trust started in tough economic times — including Apptio. “There’s an opportunity to create a narrow focus on the bets we make because it’s not the time to walk away from the table,” said Eugene.

TBMC 2022 Day 3

TBM and application portfolio management

Bank of Ireland Principal Architect Ronan Hughes delivered one of today’s keynotes about developing a comprehensive approach to application portfolio management. They went from an initial four-week Apptio proof of concept to having a full-scale total cost of ownership (TCO) model. According to Hughes, “we wanted to know, track, and break down the total cost of ownership (TCO) of applications on the technology estate.”

With Apptio, the Bank of Ireland made significant pivots in spend. Vendor contracts were re-negotiated or canceled, and they rightsized over-subscribed licenses. They targeted applications with low TCO for a decommissioning assessment, and they scrutinized applications with high TCO for cost savings and reduced usage or support. Heritage applications (“We’ve had them a while, but we aren’t ready to retire them”) are a key part of their technology estate, and they use data-driven decisions for their lifecycle management.

“TBM has helped us improve our operational management capabilities,” said Hughes. “We make more accurate return on investment (ROI) calculations for internal business cases that inform investment decisions.”

Enabling a clean energy future with TBM

Adriana (Andi) Karaboutis, chief information & digital officer at National Grid, started her keynote by stating the organization’s goals. “We need to deliver fair, clean, and affordable energy,” said Karaboutis.  To deliver those goals, National Grid is building a “smart grid” encompassing multiple energy sources, including solar, thermal, electric, nuclear, and wind. They must ensure that their technology investments support the smart grid.

National Grid’s digital strategy has three pillars. It leverages best-in-breed frontier technology (including TBM), reimagines work and business models, and delivers outcomes with an Agile methodology. Its purpose guides the digital journey. “Carbon emissions and 1.5-centigrade temperature rises could ruin the planet,” said Karaboutis. “More people buy in when you give a reason for transformation to succeed. We use TBM to help us deliver our mission.”

Giving back to our community

Yesterday morning, I had a great time running our 5K race in support of The Zoe Foundation. The foundation is part of the legacy of our former board member Kim Hammonds, who started it with her daughter. It was inspiring to see so many get out and get involved and contribute. Visit their website if you’d like to learn more about this worthy cause. We continue to take donations through the event app and their GoFundMe page.

TBMC 2022 Day 3

The pressure to cut costs without scaling back ambition is a key challenge in today’s economic climate. Yesterday’s sessions highlighted how demonstrating value is the way to propel and fund your digital transformation.

Our 10th TBM conference is over—but only the in-person event in Austin. If you could not get to Austin but still want to experience the sessions, breakouts, and panel discussions, consider our virtual TBM Conference 2022 starting November 15-16. Sign up today.

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