{"id":930378,"date":"2026-11-01T18:12:35","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T18:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/strategy-transformation\/defining-the-target-operating-model-for-an-it-department\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T19:05:32","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T19:05:32","slug":"defining-the-target-operating-model-for-an-it-department","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/en\/strategy-transformation\/defining-the-target-operating-model-for-an-it-department\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining the Target Operating Model for an IT Department"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"930378\" class=\"elementor elementor-930378 elementor-930274\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-149261bb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"149261bb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e248754 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e248754\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pmrex pmrex-detail\"><header class=\"pmrex-hero\"><div class=\"pmrex-wrap\"><a class=\"pmrex-back\" href=\"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/en\/strategy-transformation\/\">\u2190 Strategy &#038; Transformation<\/a><div class=\"pmrex-hero-layout\"><div><p class=\"pmrex-eyebrow\">Customer Feedback<\/p><h1>Defining the Target Operational Model for an IT Department<\/h1><p class=\"pmrex-lead\">Audit the organization, identify the necessary skills, and structure a CIO Office function.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"pmrex-hero-media\"><figure class=\"pmrex-hero-figure\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/palmer-rex\/assets\/photo-11.jpg\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" alt=\"Defining the Target Operating Model for an IT Department\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/header><section class=\"pmrex-wrap pmrex-overview\"><div><p class=\"pmrex-eyebrow\">The Mission at a Glance<\/p><div class=\"pmrex-company\"><h2>The Company<\/h2><p>A national organization<\/p><\/div><h2>The Context of the Project<\/h2><div class=\"pmrex-context\"><p>A national organization sought to modernize its IT department, review its governance structure, and establish a common foundation of processes. The heavy reliance on external expertise also raised questions about which capabilities should be retained in-house.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"pmrex-problem\"><h2>The Challenge<\/h2><p>An IT department in need of modernization, with processes requiring restructuring and critical expertise largely outsourced.<\/p><\/div><\/div><aside class=\"pmrex-challenge\"><p class=\"pmrex-eyebrow\">Key Issues to Address<\/p><h2>The Challenge of the Assignment<\/h2><p>The IT department needed to simultaneously evolve its organization, management practices, and skills policy. The level of outsourcing and internal resistance called for careful guidance. Support from senior management and coordination with employee representatives were key pillars for driving the transformation.<\/p><\/aside><aside class=\"pmrex-early-cta\"><p>Are you facing the same challenges?<\/p><a class=\"pmrex-button\" href=\"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/contact\/\">Contact us \u2197<\/a><\/aside><\/section><section class=\"pmrex-method\"><div class=\"pmrex-wrap\"><div class=\"pmrex-section-heading\"><div><p class=\"pmrex-eyebrow\">Our Approach<\/p><h2>The Process, Step by Step<\/h2><\/div><\/div><div class=\"pmrex-steps\"><article class=\"pmrex-step\"><span class=\"pmrex-step-number\">01<\/span><div><h3>Conducting an Assessment of the IT Department<\/h3><p>The audit provided an opportunity to analyze the existing organization and identify the changes needed.<\/p><p>PALMER drew on its knowledge of IT department organization and the ITIL framework. The assessment was intended to inform the definition of a common set of practices and a target operating model.<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"pmrex-step\"><span class=\"pmrex-step-number\">02<\/span><div><h3>Designing the Target Operating Model<\/h3><p>The target operating model was defined using a product-oriented approach.<\/p><p>Governance processes and job descriptions were revised to support this organizational structure. The development of a process framework was intended to provide teams with a common foundation for their activities.<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"pmrex-step\"><span class=\"pmrex-step-number\">03<\/span><div><h3>Preparing for Skills Evolution<\/h3><p>PALMER developed a plan to bring critical skills back in-house and to recruit new talent.<\/p><p>This approach made it possible to align organizational decisions with the necessary internal capabilities. It supported the redefinition of roles and the revision of job descriptions for the IT department\u2019s future operations.<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"pmrex-step\"><span class=\"pmrex-step-number\">04<\/span><div><h3>Structuring the CIO Office and Supporting Change<\/h3><p>The project also focused on creating the CIO Office function and implementing a budget management tool.<\/p><p>Change management efforts supported the transition to the new processes, with a focus on relationships between management, teams, and relevant stakeholders.<\/p><\/div><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"pmrex-results\"><div class=\"pmrex-wrap pmrex-results-layout\"><div><p class=\"pmrex-eyebrow\">Work Completed<\/p><h2>What the \u201c<br\/>\u201d initiative has implemented<\/h2><div class=\"pmrex-rule\"><\/div><\/div><ul class=\"pmrex-deliverables\"><li><span>01<\/span><p>An IT department audit and a target operational model.<\/p><\/li><li><span>02<\/span><p>A process framework and revised job descriptions.<\/p><\/li><li><span>03<\/span><p>A plan for bringing functions back in-house and for recruitment.<\/p><\/li><li><span>04<\/span><p>A CIO Office and a budget management system.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/section><section class=\"pmrex-wrap pmrex-contribution\"><div><p class=\"pmrex-eyebrow pmrex-contribution-label\">The Firm&#8217;s Support<\/p><h2>PALMER\u2019s Contribution<\/h2><\/div><div><p class=\"pmrex-value\">PALMER aligned organizational decisions with the resources and management practices needed to implement them. Our work with stakeholders supported the adoption of the new model.<\/p><a class=\"pmrex-expertise-link\" href=\"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/en\/strategy-transformation\/\">Discover our Strategy &#038; Transformation expertise \u2192<\/a><\/div><\/section><section class=\"pmrex-cta\"><div class=\"pmrex-wrap pmrex-cta-layout\"><div><h2>Let\u2019s Talk About Your Transformation<\/h2><p>Let\u2019s discuss your situation and the skills needed to move forward.<\/p><\/div><a class=\"pmrex-button\" href=\"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/contact\/\">Let\u2019s discuss your needs \u2197<\/a><\/div><\/section><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conduct an organizational audit, identify the necessary skills, and establish a CIO Office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":7379,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-930378","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Defining the Target Operating Model for an IT Department | Palmer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/palmer-consulting.com\/en\/strategy-transformation\/defining-the-target-operating-model-for-an-it-department\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Defining the Target Operating Model for an IT Department | 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