IT Strategy for Volga Shipping Company
Tech health assessment of 15+ systems across 4 aspects (0-4 score), 40+ initiatives across 5 programs, digital factory model
What doesn't work
A river shipping company (subsidiary) had no IT strategy. IT landscape — a historical zoo: 1C ERP + MRO + Ship module, SAP S/4, SAP HCM, SAP BPC, GeoService, Indigo, ARIS, Power BI, and dozens more. Low functional and technical health of critical systems. Vendor lock-in, no data platform, security issues.
Architectural approach
Conducted full IT landscape technical health assessment: methodology of 4 aspects (business user survey, technical expert survey, competitor comparison, technical audit) weighted at 25% each. Criticality × Value matrix for each system. Formulated IT strategy: 40+ initiatives across 5 programs. 'Digital Factory' operating model.
What made it hard
A subsidiary with a historical IT zoo: 15+ systems from 1C to SAP, each someone's 'favorite tool.' Technical health assessment is inherently subjective — had to formalize into a 4-aspect methodology with weights to make results reproducible. 40+ initiatives with a limited subsidiary budget — prioritization via criticality×value matrix instead of 'who shouts loudest.'
My role & contribution
CTO / Technical Director
Developed the 4-aspect assessment methodology (business survey, tech audit, competitor benchmark, expert evaluation — 25% weights each). Personally assessed 15+ systems. Built criticality × value matrix. Defined 40+ initiatives across 5 programs and the 'Digital Factory' operating model.
How it looks
Real screenshots
How it works
Assessment of 15+ information systems → scoring (0-4) functional and technical health → criticality × value matrix → initiative generation. 5 programs: new system selection & implementation (14 initiatives), decommissioning (4), competency centers (4), stabilization & integration architecture (12+), RUN strategy (15+). Architecture forks: EHS, integration bus, virtualization.
Why this way
Scored health assessment instead of expert opinion
CIO expert assessment without formalized methodology
Expert opinion: subjective, non-reproducible, doesn't convince the Board. Scored methodology: 4 aspects × 15 systems = reproducible result, visual matrix, budget justification.
Objective assessment of 15+ systems. Each initiative justified by scores. Roadmap for 2-3 years
Results
- 01
- 15+ systems assessed (functional + technical health)
- 02
- 4-aspect methodology (0-4 score, 25% weights)
- 03
- 40+ initiatives across 5 programs
- 04
- Criticality × Value matrix per system
- 05
- Digital Factory operating model
Impact on business
First IT strategy for the company — from chaotic IT to managed initiative portfolio. Prioritization: critical systems (1C ERP, SAP S/4) stabilized first. Identified vendor-lock risks, security issues (data protection compliance), missing data platform. 40+ initiatives — ready roadmap for 2-3 years.
Algorithms & patterns
Technologies
- 1С ERP
- SAP S/4
- SAP HCM
- SAP BPC
- ARIS
- Power BI
- Bitrix