Forrester introduced the concept of high-performance IT earlier this year. High-performance IT describes the pursuit of continuously improving business results through technology. It rests on three principles. IT must: 1) continuously align with the business; 2) build trust on a foundation of security, privacy, and resilience; and 3) empower the business to readily adapt to changing market conditions and customer demand. Forrester’s 2024 Technology Strategy Impact Awards celebrate companies that have successfully embraced these three principles. This year, we honor two outstanding winners in Europe: Smart DCC and BNP Paribas Bank Polska. Both organizations have demonstrated exceptional alignment, adaptivity, and trust in their IT strategies, setting a shining example for their respective industries.

Introducing The Winners

Smart DCC (Data Communications Company): This organization is key to the UK’s ambitious efforts to decarbonize its energy system, as custodian of the network that enables smart metering. Smart DCC’s mission is to make Britain more connected, and core to this is designing, procuring, and operating a reliable smart metering service that will comprise over 100 million connected devices (of which around 55 million will be smart meters). Smart DCC has already connected more than 32 million smart meters, giving consumers and small businesses near-real-time visibility into energy consumption and saving nearly 1.2 million tons of CO2 emissions each year, the equivalent of 150,000 homes’ annual energy consumption.

BNP Paribas Bank Polska: BNP Paribas Bank Polska has an incredible story of redesigning its IT organization after multiple mergers and acquisitions, leaving behind some architectural, technological, and process debt to become a trusted partner for the business. Being additionally exposed to challenges resulting from geopolitical tensions in the region (including the exponential growth of cyberthreats, with the average number of cyberattacks on Polish companies being twice as high as in other European countries), BNP Paribas Bank Polska assures a secure cybersecurity position (one of the highest Bitsight scores on the market) and uninterrupted services for its clients. Its IT strategy (“IT@Scale”) empowers implementing innovative solutions (such as generative AI tool adoption) and concepts (“Architecture as a Product”), scaling up technology to increase operational efficiency and digital resilience. Simultaneously, the strategy lays a robust foundation for business growth, fostering a partnership of trust and collaboration with the business to achieve the bank’s strategic objectives. Midway through the IT@Scale implementation, significant results have been achieved.

Alignment: Strategic Integration Of IT And Business Goals

Smart DCC’s technology function is tightly aligned with business goals through its strategy and enterprise portfolio management teams, which link technology initiatives to strategic objectives and ultimately to the UK government’s sustainability goals. Meetings, bulletins, and a change management framework support the formal process of agreeing and maintaining alignment, but continuous engagement and effective communication between stakeholders ensures that these procedures result in meaningful progress toward the company’s strategic objectives.

BNP Paribas Bank Polska has implemented a strategic annual planning (SAP) process to align IT strategies with business needs. This process, conducted at the end of each year, involves defining strategic objectives and key results for each area (organized in “tribes”) and the scope and impact of the planned initiatives, as well as interdependency analysis and resource planning. It also includes a top-down and bottom-up feedback loop before the board decision-making process on investments. This approach ensures that IT strategies are integrated with the business strategy, enabling effective responses to ever-changing needs. Continuous alignment is maintained through quarterly big room planning (BRP) sessions.

Adaptivity: Rapid Response To Market Demands

By constantly horizon-scanning for relevant future technologies, Smart DCC’s technology function ensures that its smart metering platform remains secure and scalable while adapting to meet evolving requirements. This platform, which combines hardware and software from a range of partner organizations, manages to achieve average monthly service availability of 99.7%. The platform is designed to respond to market changes and has already proven its worth: Anticipating the sunset of 2G and 3G services by 2033, Smart DCC and its partners designed a new 4G communications hub that will also be compatible with 5G and later technologies.

After going through its SAP process, BNP Paribas Bank Polska ensures IT adaptivity to changing business needs through the quarterly BRP process. This involves a dynamic feedback loop organized for each tribe that is open to all stakeholders, facilitated by a dedicated team, and includes a quarterly business review and quarterly agile planning. Results from BRP meetings are summarized and discussed with leaders, and plans are then adapted based on these discussions. The BRP process enables agility and responsiveness, facilitates continuous learning, and adapts to evolving business needs. The iterative nature of BRP allows for adjustments as business priorities shift.

Trust: Building A Foundation Of Security And Resilience

Trust is essential to Smart DCC’s external reputation, and its commitment to building and sustaining trust with customers is paramount. By engaging with customers and understanding their needs, Smart DCC aims to provide clarity, transparency, and assurance throughout the lifecycle of change programs. It has also prioritized operational reporting that aligns with customer priorities, allowing for earlier issue identification and resolution. Smart DCC engages with government stakeholders at the highest level and adheres to their principles, including building appropriate business cases for larger programs. It invests significant effort in maintaining transparency with all partners across government and industry to ensure continued trust.

Building trust between IT and the business at BNP Paribas Bank Polska is rooted in core values. IT and the business work closely within cross-functional tribes, ensuring transparent communication of strategic plans and their implementation through SAP and BRP processes. Key undertakings to solidify trust include securing the best IT resources for business needs, ensuring employment stability, and investing in competence development (by multiple up- and reskilling programs). Fostering a culture of innovation and engagement has resulted in the attrition rate in IT dropping from 30% in 2020 to 3% in H1 of 2024.

Learn More At Technology & Innovation Summit EMEA

Join us and the winners at our upcoming Technology & Innovation Summit EMEA in London, October 9–11, to celebrate the achievements of Smart DCC and BNP Paribas Bank Polska and learn more about the strategies behind their success. Gain invaluable insights from their high-performance IT strategies and learn how you can apply these principles to your own organization. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with industry leaders, exchange ideas, and drive your IT performance to new heights.