Doing more with less: How to survive an IT budget cut

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PA Consulting’s US Data and Analytics Lead Scott Schlesinger shares advice for surviving an IT budget cut in an InformationWeek article.

Budget cuts are never welcome, but smart IT leaders can often keep their teams and plans on track by making some shrewd and judicious modifications.

Defensive tactics to budget cuts

Scott said that budget cuts create stress and confusion, which can baffle an ill-prepared leader or leadership team. Each leader addresses budget cuts in their own way, since there are many drivers, objectives, and desired outcomes that power the need to reduce spending.

“Regardless of the reason for the cuts, how the organization executes the strategy, and how effectively the cuts are done, can ultimately be a major factor in the very survival of some organizations.” 

Minimizing the impact of budget reductions

Scott adds that taking a data-focused approach to budget cuts provides the opportunity to analyze and model different scenarios, explore and experiment prior to execution, and look for a method that will turn a cost-cutting measure into an opportunity.

He continues: “Focusing on data and working to remove emotion, political bias, and other entrenched organizational barriers is the best course to reduce risk during lean times and offer leaders visibility into where opportunities may lie.”