The ‘Just-Right’ Fit of Hybrid Technology Teams
What Does Hybrid IT Mean to Us?
At T-Mobile, it is common for lean Data & Analytics teams to be decentralized from Enterprise IT. Instead they sit in a technology team directly aligned to the success of a business unit. This integrated organizational structure, often referred to as Hybrid IT, combines both functional and product (project) workstreams in one technology team that shares its goals with that of the business unit it supports. In the case of the Data, Solutions & Analytics group, we are embedded in the Supply Chain, Procurement and Network Development organization.
This model is sometimes referred to as Shadow IT. However, given the culture and organizational structure at T-Mobile, these hybrid groups routinely contribute immense impact. The combination of agile process, business (domain) knowledge and a scalable technology stack provide a practical and radically productive “just right” fit that’s able to offer full scale solutions without the enterprise IT overhead. As a result, we have a positive influence on the People, Processes and Technology of the broader organization.
Influencing the Process
A Hybrid model means both functional and technical teams share the same goals and definitions of success. At the end of the day we are all responsible for optimizing inventory turns, ensuring we hit our pace rate and capturing meaningful, valid savings. Any technical team, no matter how minimally removed from the business operations, will be hard pressed to have the subject-matter expertise of those responsible for the day-to-day. In our experience, having shared goals fosters a partnership that eases the exchange of meaningful domain and technical knowledge. The model ensures both technical and functional teams are aligned on the end-state, which means collaboration is high and we avoid the constant need to re-group on direction and desired outcomes. As a result, the limited bureaucracy associated with Hybrid IT equates to autonomous execution; we are not weighed down by process.
The close partnership that grows between functional and technical teams is perfect for agile development; teams are quickly able to assess operational gaps, implement change and measure success. This rapid iteration means incremental improvements are realized within days/weeks, not months/years.
The agile development environment fostered in the Hybrid model also creates a low barrier to entry. Spinning up a technical project is low risk. Business and technical teams are quickly able to realize potentially crippling limitations that will prevent success. This means that groups “fail-fast” and without a big hit to budget and resources.
Endless Career Opportunities
Professional growth opportunities for both business and technical teams are limitless within the Hybrid model. There is an easy path for stretch assignments that expose technical players to the business operations world and vice versa. Additionally, poaching isn’t a concern since all employees are directly contributing to the goals and success of the broader organization. Movement between teams enables the optimal structure for the success of our Procurement & Supply Chain organization.
The limited tops down influence within the Hybrid IT team leads to an environment of high satisfaction. Product managers, engineers and analysts are extended full ownership of the solutions and tools the team produces. That ability to own decisions regarding functionality, architecture, platforms and implementation lends itself to growth opportunity and autonomy.
Cutting Edge Technology Stack
Today’s technology landscape makes it easy to build an infrastructure that supports the growth and scale of our business units while ensuring a high level of availability. Data analytics platforms, databases and even full stack web development has become commoditized such that a single developer using self-service systems can have tremendous impact. Our team leverages both Microsoft and Amazon cloud platforms to manage our data, reporting and web application products.We have also successfully implemented production algorithms using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions.
Requirement documents are an extremely low bandwidth means to communicate needs. By having a fully autonomous product team, the communication between subject matter experts, data analysts, and the business happens much more rapidly, informally and organically; approaching osmosis. Technology decisions are driven by the needs of the products and natural conversations between T-shaped people.
Sitting within the procurement team has its benefits, too. Our group influences the direction of the enterprise IT stack and spins up Proof of Concepts (POCs) to test new technologies and services easily. As a result, we have enhanced our stack to further democratize the team’s data and increase accessibility to analytics and insights.
It’s Not All Butterflies and Rainbows
Playing in the in-between space of Hybrid IT means that we are constantly justifying our team’s existence. Defining the boundaries of Hybrid IT’s scope becomes critical to the success of the organization. The role our team fills is not always seen as unique to us and we are sometimes targeted to move to one end of the spectrum, either directly into a business team or enterprise IT.
The products and solutions we build have been transformational for the business units we support. As products become business critical it’s important for them have high availability and operational support. The level of care needed can be difficult to justify within an integrated technology group but is a great fit for the enterprise IT organization; they are designed for the 24/7 support and high reliability required. With a defined path to promote business critical products to enterprise IT, maturity of both the product and business process is ensured.
As an organization that enables business insights and process changes, we often see recognition go to the unit implementing the process change while the insight or data is taken for granted or chalked up to business expertise and intuition. It’s true that domain knowledge is needed to create value and the drive for a true partnership can often feel like an uphill battle. Investment in a Product Management team has ensured our relevance among users, not just stakeholders, resulting in a cohort of promoters that ensure our relevance and impact. It has also increased the team’s influence and created an avenue to acquire some of that tribal domain knowledge prevalent within business teams.
While refining and communicating our value proposition is a continuous evolution, the autonomy and impact our team enjoys makes it worthwhile. We function as a small start up with the benefits of an established enterprise. For those that like to make decisions and have a high degree of accountability and responsibility, it’s a great fit.
Do you enjoy a similar experience in your Hybrid organization? How have you communicated the Hybrid team’s value proposition? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section, or you can reach out to me directly.
