Greater I&O process maturity is essential if I&O leaders are to improve IT services delivered to customers (see "Gartner Poll Suggests IT Management Processes Aren't Maturing"). However, we believe that, although a focus on process is necessary, it's not sufficient for IT maturity, especially in I&O. Process-centricity makes sense when process alone drives maturity, and all other elements follow. However, in the IT industry, the technology is constantly evolving, and discontinuity is the norm. Technological changes can require resetting maturity in other areas; for example, operationalizing virtualization requires process changes. Hence, technology is also affecting maturity. An IT maturity model must include technology. As IT becomes more ingrained in business processes, IT organization, culture and skills will also need to radically change. Culture, organization and personnel changes will often be prerequisites for process improvement and shifts in how technology is leveraged. Finally, people, process and technology are driven and constrained by the ways in which they're managed, including the governance procedures. Hence, we see process, technology, people and business management as the four essential dimensions of I&O maturity.
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