How to Know When It's Time to Restructure Your IT Team

As technology and business practices evolve, so should IT teams. When an organizational structure that once worked effectively and efficiently begins to show signs of rigidity, complacency, or inefficiency, it may be time for a total overhaul. 

A key sign indicating the need for a total restructuring is when your team isn't able to respond to critical business needs at a pace required for success, says Javier Muniz, CTO at law firm LLC Attorney, in an email interview. "If you notice consistent delays in project delivery, decreasing productivity, or a growing disconnect between IT and other business areas, it could be time to reassess your team structure." 

Multiple Benefits 

When accomplished properly, restructuring improves staff performance by creating a more efficient workflow, aligning individual capabilities with role expectations more accurately, and promoting better internal communication, Muniz says. 

Team performance and morale grow and prosper when members are free to create strong and efficient solutions.

"A structure that doesn't fit business needs creates frustration for both the IT staff and the people working in the business units," observes Alan Thorogood, research and member engagement leader, AsiaPac, with the MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR). "The frustration leads to workarounds that are also inefficient, reducing overall productivity," he notes via email. 

Related:How to Structure an IT Operations Team for Organizational Success

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