Quantcast

Top 6 IT Department Challenges and How to Overcome Them 

IT teams are in crisis mode. Yes, everyone is feeling the pressure, with day-to-day challenges such as rising costs and limited resources impacting every department. But IT teams are feeling the pressure more than most thanks to an increased demand on technical teams as businesses look to improve their operational efficiency.

Our recent survey of over 300 technical leaders at large organizations as part of Bizagi’s report, State of Low Code Process Automation, revealed organizational challenges across a range of sectors, and how they are leveraging process automation solutions to meet these challenges, push organizational initiatives forward and ultimately outpace their competition.

Unsurprisingly, the top six challenges for IT teams over the past year reflect current events. Technology decision-makers' top 2022 challenges primarily centered around curtailing costs, limited resources, and keeping up with increased demands.

 

Challenge 1: Rising costs/cost optimization (39%)  

It’s more important than ever for technical leaders to drive spending and cost reduction while maximizing business value. But rising costs, of both talent and technology has made this increasingly harder, making this the leading challenge for IT departments.

Global inflation has likely affected all aspects of your budget. Talent is no exception. Not only do you need to pay top dollar for qualified and diligent IT staff with the expertise to make your business excel, but once you’ve found them, you need to keep them. Talent retention is an issue, not only as organizations compete to secure the best workers, but as employees themselves look to prioritize work/life balance following the pandemic.

Additionally, the technology that your team is using, both hardware and software, has become more expensive. Soaring energy costs means that just keeping the lights on and running systems in the cloud has become pricey. Yes, IT departments may be receiving bigger budgets, but they are also incurring more costs.

 

Challenge 2: Keeping pace with ongoing digital transformation needs (37%)  

The pandemic increased the pace of digital transformation, which has left many organizations struggling to keep up with the changing needs of the market. The digital boon of recent years means customer and employee expectations are higher than ever. Everyone wants everything now, in a user-friendly format.

So, IT are challenged to not only keep up with the demand, but create market-leading iterations. The pressure is on to offer improved user experience and use data to deliver intuitive, and innovative products at speed.

 

Challenge 3: Limited IT availability/resources (35%)  

Even if you can find talent to fill the technology skills gap, your IT team will likely still have limited availability. IT departments often find themselves spread too thin; fighting fires or providing technical support when their time would be better spent creating innovative solutions for the business.

Self-serve and citizen developer solutions are becoming more popular, but may still see the IT team as a crutch or a fix-all solution to problems that actually have a simple solution.

 

Challenge 4: Spending more time on maintenance/governance as opposed to innovation (35%)  

Maintenance and governance are a massive time sink for IT teams. While rising to the aforementioned challenge of keeping pace with transformation needs, they also need to maintain the systems that are already in place. From administering software patches and updates, to generally overseeing technical projects that are already in flight.

There’s also the issue of technical debt when short-term solutions have been put in place as a band aid solution for a bullet wound problem. These problems only happen because the team are time-poor, so need to find the fastest (not necessarily the best) solution. This ultimately creates a perpetual cycle of quick fixes that need repairing time and time again.

 

Challenge 5: Recruiting qualified IT employees (33%)  

It’s no secret that there’s a shortage of tech talent. Qualified IT employees are hard to come by, so it’s hard to fill teams. This in turn exacerbates the other challenges on this list and generally makes it harder for the IT department to provide solutions to support the wider organization.

Gartner’s 2022 global report found that talent shortage was the most significant barrier to the adoption of 64% of emerging technologies. Comparatively, it was only 4% in 2020: a significant increase.

 

Challenge 6: The IT backlog is too big (32%)  

Even having a talented, well-equipped IT team is not enough. It’s likely that multiple departments in your organization are fighting for IT’s attention, leaving a seemingly never-ending to-do list in their wake.

An IT backlog is inevitable, from application enhancements to starting entirely new projects, and planned IT projects often go back as far as a year. It’s important to strike a balance between keeping up with both internal and external demands to remain competitive, while effectively managing technical debt so the team don’t end up needing to revisit these requests again at a later date.

 

How to overcome these challenges 

Decision-makers are well aware of these common pain points, but what’s less apparent is how to solve them. By focusing on IT investment, efficiency, and productivity, decision-makers will not only limit repercussions but outmanoeuvre competitors in the years to come.  

- Create a positive culture to attract and retain talent  

Deter your employees from jumping ship by making your IT department, and your organization as a whole, a great place to be. Work with your HR team to maintain a positive culture and check in with your team regularly to check that they feel happy, motivated, and supported. It’s important to recognise and reward progress and innovation, and you’ll in turn be rewarded with a loyal, hard-working team that make a difference in the organization.

- Automate to reduce strain on IT resources and lower costs  

Do more with less. Many organizations are turning to process automation to achieve organizational goals more quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively than they could manually. It also takes the pressure off IT, as automated solutions essentially look after themselves once they have been established. Read more about the benefits of low-code automation in our blog.

- Review your tech stack to meet requirements across the business  

Check to see if there are any crossovers in capabilities in your tech stack that can meet requirements across the business. Departments often have a siloed appraoch to solutions. An overview of applications and products can help you determine if you’re doubling up on anything and if you are, you can save effort and money.

- Enable citizen developers to create their own solutions 

Business users can create their own solutions for their requirements rather waiting for IT to have capacity. Low-code process automation platforms equip citizen developers with advanced technologies within an intuitive user experience, so even employees without advanced IT capabilities can analyze, design, and automate end-to-end business processes. Find out more about how to enable and support citizen developers in our blog.

- Create more self-serve solutions for common queries and issues  

Help business users to help themselves with process automation solutions. Many manual and repetitive IT services can be automated or made accessible for non-IT teams so they don’t have to wait for solutions, increasing productivity for both IT and the business.

 

Find out more about how IT departments are rising to challenges and using automated processes to power success in our report, State of Low-Code Process Automation.  

Digital Process Automation

What is Data Orchestration and How Can it Benefit Your Business?

Agile & Low Code

[Infographic] How Low-Code Benefits Grow Over Time

Agile & Low Code

Enterprise Application Development Best Practices

Digital Process Automation

[Infographic] Top 5 Pain Points That Could be Solved by Automation

Banking

Banking Fraud Prevention: System Silos Create Gaps for Criminals

Agile & Low Code

Jump to Lightspeed: How to Use PaaS to Drive Transformation Velocity 

Banking

[Infographic] 3 Processes Ready for Automation in Banking

Use Cases

How CBC Orchestrated Their Distribution of PepsiCo Products

Banking

Loan Origination: The Benefits of Automating the Process

Banking

5 Ways to Empower Banking Employees with Automation 

Infographics

[Infographic] Bridging the Gaps in Banking

Use Cases

4 Ways Tatweer Petroleum are Using Automation to Optimize Operations

Banking

Perfecting the Customer Experience in Banking

Digital Process Automation

Ease the Strain of Supply Chain Disruptions in the Energy Sector with Low-Code Automation 

Manufacturing

3 Ways Unilever International Achieved Agility at Scale 

Banking

Banking Automation: 4 Essential Tips to Transform Your Bank

Agile & Low Code

Why You Need a Cloud-First Strategy 

Banking

3 Ways IT Leaders in Banking can Drive Transformation

Banking

How AgFirst Bank Ensures Compliance with Automation

Banking

3 Processes Ripe for Automation in Banking

Use Cases

Automating the Vendor Management Process: Benefits at 5 Key Steps

Banking

Transforming Approval Processes in Banking: Real-Life Examples

Manufacturing

What is Supply Chain Sustainability?

Process Modeling and Mapping

How to Find and Fix Bottlenecks in Your Supply Chain 

Process Modeling and Mapping

What is Process Improvement? Methodologies to Help Your Business

Manufacturing

Want a Resilient Supply Chain? It’s Time to Automate Manual Processes 

Manufacturing

[Infographic] Supply Chain Orchestration: Fixing the Gaps in Your Operations

Manufacturing

Supply Chain Automation: Use Cases for Every Point in Your Logistics Network 

Manufacturing

How to Build a Connected Supply Chain

Person at desk building business process map in Bizagi Modeler on laptop Agile & Low Code

3 Low-Code Use Cases: How Low-Code Platforms Can Accelerate Digital Process Automation 

Woman looking stock market Data on smart phone Banking

6 Lessons Learned from 6 Years of Using Bizagi at Stone Coast Fund Services

Intelligent Process Automation

5 Intelligent Process Automation Use Cases to Inspire Your Automation Project

Robotic Process Automation

IPA vs RPA – What’s the Difference?

Use Cases

16 Real-World Business Process Automation Examples That Sparked Success

Digital Process Automation

Why Your Shared Services Center Needs Automation 

Agile & Low Code

Low-code and No-code Platforms: Which Approach Should I Use?

Process Modeling and Mapping

Process Documentation Examples: Tools, Use Cases & more

Agile & Low Code

[Infographic] Low-code vs No-code: What’s the Difference

Agile & Low Code

The Citizen Developer Revolution: How to Enable and Support Developers

Digital Transformation: Technology

What is Hyperautomation and How Could It Help Your Business?

Man wearing headphones working on laptop at desk in empty office Finance Solutions

The Benefits of Audit Automation: Real-Life Examples

Use Cases

AP Automation: Getting Started with Accounts Payable Automation 

Process Modeling and Mapping

Process Mapping vs Process Modeling: What’s the Difference?

Cardboard boxes on a conveyor line in distribution warehouse Use Cases

Automation Success Story from Deutsche Post DHL Group’s Shared Services Hub

Agile & Low Code

Low-Code Automation: The Benefits

Manufacturing

Supply Chain Automation: 4 Benefits it Brings to Your Organization

Infographics

[Infographic] Automate to Innovate in Manufacturing - 3 Essential Strategies

Finance Solutions

What CFOs Really Think About Automation in Finance

Process Modeling and Mapping

What is Process Mapping? Benefits and Examples of Process Maps

Business Analysis and Strategy Digital Process Automation

What is Business Process Automation (BPA)?

Confident smiling businessman using smartphone in office Intelligent Process Automation

Process Automation ROI: How to Calculate Yours

Workspace with Blank Computer Screen Agile & Low Code

What is Low-Code Automation and How Could it Benefit You?

Digital Process Automation

Automation Predictions for 2021 and Beyond

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Process Modeling and Mapping

What is Process Modeling? 6 Essential Questions Answered

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Insurance

Transforming the Insurance Claims Process: Real-Life Examples

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Finance Solutions

5 Reasons for Automating the Procurement Process

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Banking

Loan Origination Automation at AEON Credit Service Asia (ACSA)

Digital Process Automation

3 Ways Process Automation Can Aid Your Business Recovery

HR & Employee Experience

[Infographic] 3 Processes Your HR Department Need to Automate Now

HR & Employee Experience

4 Ways to Deliver Change Management for Process Automation

Depressed frustrated trader tired of overwork or stressed by bankruptcy, sad shocked investor desperate about financial crisis or money loss, upset businessman having headache massaging nose bridge Business Continuity

4 Technology Priorities for Enterprises Preparing for Economic Downturn

Digital Transformation: Technology

The Building Blocks You Need for Digital Transformation

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Robotic Process Automation

How to Use Bizagi and RPA to Achieve True Digital Process Automation

Insurance

5 Insurance Processes Transformed by Digital Process Automation

Insurance

Insurance Peer Review Just Got Easier, Thanks to Process Automation

Governance & Compliance

5 Governance, Risk and Compliance Automation Templates You Can Use Right Now

Manufacturing

Smart Manufacturing: How Geesinknorba Increased Production Efficiency by 45%

Insurance

4 Important Wins from Digital Transformation in Insurance

Banking

Intelligent Process Automation: Bizagi and RPA in Action at Bancolombia

Product News

Bizagi Deepens Intelligent Process Automation Capability with 11.2.2

Banking

3 Ways Bizagi Transforms Wealth Management Organizations

Insurance

Tackling the Frankenstack: Legacy IT Evolution for Insurers

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Robotic Process Automation

How to Build World-Class Digital Operations

Digital Transformation: Strategy

Digital Transformation Strategy: Get it Right & Become a Digital Master

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Healthcare

3 Ways to Ensure Data Security in Healthcare

Customer Experience & Engagement

The Customer Journey: How to Capitalize on Critical Moments

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Healthcare

Telemedicine: Meet Customer Expectations in Healthcare with AI

Digital Transformation: Strategy

[Infographic] 3 Ways to Tackle the Tensions Around Digital Transformation

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 82
Insurance

Rescue Insurance Policy Administration with AI & Process Automation

Governance & Compliance

[Infographic] 4 Ways to Reduce Risk & Keep Your Business Compliant

Insurance

Insurance Claims Process: Don’t Leave Your Customers Waiting

Digital Transformation: Strategy

Digital Operations: Transform your Business in 6 Simple Steps

Customer Experience & Engagement

[Infographic] 3 Ways to Transform Your Customer Engagement Strategy

Insurance

Customer Experience in Insurance: How to Accelerate the Digital Transformation

Customer Experience & Engagement

Contextualization: The New Rules of Customer Engagement

Governance & Compliance

Governance and Compliance: Mitigate Risk in 6 Simple Steps

Insurance

[Infographic] 5 Steps to Digitally Transform Your Insurance Company

Insurance

Insurance Onboarding: The Key to Lasting Customer Relationships

Governance & Compliance

Why Agility is The Key to Regulatory Compliance

Use Cases

Lotus Notes Migration: Modernizing Your Applications with Bizagi

Banking

Blockchain: The Fuel to Energize Your Financial Services Transformation