5.5.Tools
In order to support the collaborative implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy, the working group identified a set of specific tools which will be presented in this section.
The most important tool for managing and coordinating the implementation process of the strategy are regular strategy workshops as well as task force meetings or Scrum meetings.
For the purpose of properly managing the overall strategy implementation, STIKK and the steering committee will organize strategy workshops every three months. These workshops will be attended by the members of the steering committee, by the 9 task force managers/agile team members, representing their team as well as by the members of the advisory board. During the strategy workshops, the results of the implementation process will be reviewed and discussed according to strategic pillars and task forces. Furthermore, tasks and corresponding resources will be approved, whilst additional planning will be conducted. In addition, the operational plan will be updated.
Task force meetings/Scrum meetings will be organized on a monthly basis by the teams, in order to review the progress of task/WP implementation (sprint review) and to coordinate activities (see agile process model in chapter 5.4). These meetings will be attended by the members of the task forces and moderated by the task force manager.
Management and moderation of the workshops and meetings will be primarily based on Scrum and other suitable methodologies already applied during the strategy development process, such as Metaplan, ASE and Design Thinking.
A key tool for managing the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy within an agile process model framework will be the Strategy Scrum Board, which will facilitate visual planning and management within the task forces. The following chart shows the envisaged Strategy Scrum Board and its key elements:
Figure : IT Strategy Scrum Board
Source: Capgemini
The Strategy Scrum board will also improve team communication and ensure the visibility of task distribution, capacity planning and implementation progress (“To Do”, “In Progress”, “Done”). It has been planned to establish an IT Strategy Scrum Board for each of the task forces at STIKK premises.
In terms of IT solutions for supporting the implementation process, the strategy working group evaluated several collaboration and so-called enterprise 2.0 tools, illustrated in the following chart:
Figure : IT tools for strategy implementation
After carefully assessing the functionality of the above-shown tools, the strategy working group decided to use MS SharePoint as a central IT solution for facilitating the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy. As mentioned in chapter 2.5, SharePoint has already been used to support the development process of the Kosovo IT Strategy.
SharePoint has been selected by the working group as a central tool because it provides a specific functionality, which is very relevant for the collaborative implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy based on an agile process model. This functionality encompasses, inter alia:
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Document Library
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Calendar
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Tasks
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Issue Tracking
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Wiki
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Discussion Board
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Survey
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Announcements
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Contacts
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Custom List
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User Alerts
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RSS
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Workflow
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In addition to this functionality the application is comparatively easy to handle and most of the stakeholders are familiar with its function and interface due to the fact that SharePoint had already been used during the strategy development process.
The following screenshot illustrates the structure of the SharePoint for the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy:
Figure : SharePoint for the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy
The Kosovo IT Strategy SharePoint will be used for organizing and coordinating strategy workshops and task force meetings (calendar function). Furthermore, it will be particularly useful for supporting the steering committee and the task forces in terms of progress tracking and document management (task force meeting reports, protocols, deliverables, concepts, market studies, etc.).
5.6.Risk Management
Taking into account the dynamics and volatility of global IT markets, the disruptive nature of digital transformation and the framework conditions and uncertainties of Kosovo’s domestic market, risk management becomes an important element of the Kosovo IT Strategy.
In general, risk management can be de defined as follows:
“Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events.”34
According to ISO 31000, the risk management process includes the following steps:
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Establish the context
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Risk identification
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Risk analysis
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Risk evaluation
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Risk treatment
In order to address the issue of risk management, the strategy working group identified the key risks surrounding the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy, and defined possible counteractive measures for risk mitigation:
Possible Risks
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Counteractive Measures for Risk Treatment
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No government support
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Capacity building for public sector stakeholders
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Awareness raising campaigns, lobbying and PR
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Donor support
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Contingency plan and “critical path”
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Recession in the domestic market
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Increasing export promotion
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Investment promotion
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Indirect internationalization
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Recession in target export markets
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Developing additional export markets
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Domestic market development
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Pull-out of donor organizations
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Multi-stakeholder approach
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Ensuring sustainability of support measures (e.g. cluster services through STIKK)
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Contingency plan and “critical path”
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Massive brain drain
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Increasing support measures in the area of IT education
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Extending student placement service
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Awareness campaigns and information events on the attractiveness and opportunities of the Kosovo IT industry
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Implementing specific tax incentives
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Massive increase in labour costs
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Increasing support measures in the area of IT education
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Promoting vocational education for IT
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Leveraging demographic development in Kosovo
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Increasing regional competition
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Increasing investment in company excellence and quality
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Further increasing differentiation and focus
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Establishing strategic alliances (e.g. SEE IT initiative)
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The issue of risk management has been directly addressed within the Kosovo IT Strategy through several measures, including its agile approach, a multi-stakeholder setting, collaborative strategy implementation, diversified support budgets and a focus on financially sustainable support measures.
In addition to that, the monitoring and evaluation system for the Kosovo IT Strategy has been designed specifically to support risk management by detecting and analyzing possible risks for the Kosovo IT industry as early as possible and supporting the rapid development and deployment of effective counteractive measures.
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