The IT4IT™ Standard, Version 3.0, a standard of The Open Group

The Open Group IT4IT Standard describes a reference architecture that can be used to manage the business of Information Technology (IT) and the associated end-to-end lifecycle management of Digital Products.

At the most basic level, the IT4IT Standard defines the “Digital Management” of “Digital Products” in order to create an efficient value delivery. The IT4IT Standard is about defining the value stream, the associated functions, and the data objects needed to control the planning, development, delivery, and run management of Digital Products.

The IT4IT Standard:

•   Is intended to provide a prescriptive Target Architecture and clear guidance for the transformation of existing technology

management practices for a faster, scalable, automated, and practical approach to deploying product-based investment models and providing an unprecedented level of operational control and measurable value

•   Is independent of specific technologies, vendors, organization structures, process models, and methodologies

•   Can be mapped to any existing technology landscape, and is flexible enough to accommodate the continuing evolution of operational and management paradigms for technology

•   Addresses a critical gap in the Digital Transformation toolkit: the need for a unifying architectural model that describes and connects the capabilities, value streams, functions,

and operational data needed to manage a Digital Product Portfolio at scale

The target audience for the standard consists of:

•   C-level executives responsible for Digital Transformation, as a top-down view of digital value creation

•   Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers whose portfolios include significant digital content, as a way to integrate marketing priorities with product delivery practices

•   Governance, risk, and compliance practitioners, as a guide to controlling a modern digital landscape

•   Enterprise and IT Architects, as a template for IT tool rationalization and for governing end-to-end technology management architectures

•   Technology buyers, as the basis for Requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and as a template for evaluating product completeness

Consultants and assessors, as a guide for evaluating current practice against a well-defined standard

•   Technology vendors, as a guide for product design and customer integrations

•   Technical support staff, as a guide for automating and scaling up support services to deal with modern technology deployment velocity

The IT4IT Standard addresses a critical gap in the Digital Transformation toolkit: the need for a unifying architectural model that describes and connects the capabilities, value streams, functions, and operational data needed to manage a Digital Product Portfolio at scale.

Traditional management paradigms, in which the technology budget is a combination of one-off projects and keep-the-lights- on operations, have constrained the value that could be delivered by technology. A fundamentally different approach is needed.

In recent years, this need continues to evolve rapidly as business management itself has become digital management. In other words, as the business delivers Digital Products, IT becomes the business.

By showing how to shift the focus of digital investment from project expense to product-based value delivery, the IT4IT Standard provides a powerful model for standardizing the digital automation fabric to support constant innovation and accelerated digital service delivery.