91制片厂

IT Superintendent Dennis Moncrieff builds a new IT strategy

Tomago Aluminium is a titan of Australian industry. Its New South Wales smelter is the largest in the country, with an annual output nearing 600,000 tons, and the company employs more than 1,000 people, along with 2,000 contractors. All told, the company pumps an estimated AU$2.2 billion (US$1.4 billion) into Australia鈥檚 economy.

But Tomago Aluminium is not insulated from the rapid technological change reshaping the global economy. IT Superintendent Dennis Moncrieff, a 15-year veteran at Tomago, understood the company would need to build an IT strategy to adjust and adapt 鈥� all while dealing with worsening cybersecurity threats, growing demand for digitalization, an aging workforce, skills shortages, and post-COVID-19 turmoil.

鈥淲e were just at the back end of COVID and the 鈥榞reat resignation,鈥欌�� Moncrieff recalled. 鈥淭he organization was turning over quickly, people were still finding their feet, and that made it challenging to define an IT strategy 鈥� but it was something that needed to happen.鈥�

Cutting straight to what works

Moncrieff, known for his deep curiosity and commitment to delivering value, saw that Tomago Aluminium鈥檚 IT department would have to learn to do more with the same, if not fewer, resources, but optimizing operations without guidance carried the risk of wasting time and effort. He turned to global IT research and advisory firm 91制片厂 for road-tested expertise on planning that transformation the right way.

鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about efficiency, so I didn鈥檛 want to do it, get it wrong, and then do it again,鈥� Moncrieff said. 鈥淚nfo-Tech helped me skip that trial-and-error phase and just jump to a solution that works. That was too important to try to wing it myself with a bunch of Google results.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about efficiency, so I didn鈥檛 want to do it, get it wrong, and then do it again. Info-Tech helped me skip that trial-and-error phase and just jump to a solution that works. That was too important to try to wing it myself with a bunch of Google results.鈥�
鈥� Dennis Moncrieff, IT Superintendent, Tomago Aluminium

Road-tested diagnostics drive measurable change

Moncrieff credits Info-Tech鈥檚 suite of survey-based diagnostics with kick-starting his IT realignment, pointing particularly to CIO Business Vision and CEO-CIO Alignment. The diagnostic results revealed the organization鈥檚 current and target states and related them to stakeholder expectations.

鈥淭he Info-Tech Diagnostics saved me a huge amount of time,鈥� Moncrieff recalled. 鈥淭hey helped me understand what my stakeholders wanted and how they viewed IT 鈥� without spending weeks creating surveys or frameworks from scratch.鈥�

Info-Tech Academy training delivered in weeks, not months

Moncrieff prides himself on the attention he gives his team members鈥� professional development. That instinct, combined with the online training courses offered by Info-Tech Academy, ensured his team had the project management skills they needed for his realignment efforts.

鈥淭he Info-Tech Academy was a fantastic resource. I assigned modules to team leaders, and within two weeks they鈥檇 completed the training,鈥� he recalled.

Turning contract reviews into budget savings

Doing more with the same resources requires careful cost control. Moncrieff sought savings in the organization鈥檚 external contracts with major vendors such as Microsoft, leveraging Info-Tech鈥檚 Contract Review and Price Benchmarking services to ensure he was spending no more than needed 鈥� which also appealed to his C-suite decision-makers.

鈥淢y CFO was amazed I could even produce a Microsoft benchmark. He鈥檇 seen other organizations attempt and fail,鈥� Moncrieff recalled. 鈥淲ith Info-Tech鈥檚 help, I not only delivered it, but saved time and avoided unnecessary costs 鈥� and got recognition for it.鈥�

鈥淭he Info-Tech Diagnostics saved me a huge amount of time. They helped me understand what my stakeholders wanted and how they viewed IT 鈥� without spending weeks creating surveys or frameworks from scratch.鈥�
鈥� Dennis Moncrieff, IT Superintendent, Tomago Aluminium

Info-Tech LIVE offered a chance to reflect and reset

Aside from offering its own expertise, Moncrieff noted that Info-Tech facilitated learning and skill sharing with other IT leaders across multiple fields through the networking opportunities offered at its Info-Tech LIVE Brisbane conference.

鈥淭he Info-Tech LIVE events are really great at resetting your expectations of yourself,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot just focusing on the next challenge, the next problem that you're facing, but to reflect as well on what you've learned and what you can offer to others to actually to help them on their journey.鈥�

Info-Tech 鈥� a strategic partner embedded in the team

Throughout the IT strategy realignment process, Moncrieff said he relied not only on Info-Tech鈥檚 blueprints, diagnostics, and other tools, but also on the hands-on, personalized guidance offered by his executive counselor, who was seen as an extension of his own team.

鈥淚 knew the outcome I required but didn鈥檛 know the exact questions to ask. Info-Tech would bounce ideas back and forth with me and suggest solutions,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淭hat saved me time and gave me the confidence to move forward strategically.鈥�

Staying lean and ready while preparing for what鈥檚 next

Moncrieff says Tomago Aluminium鈥檚 IT operations are more lean and agile than before, and the organization is presently in a holding pattern as it prepares for what comes next.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to make giant moves. It鈥檚 about becoming more efficient with what we鈥檝e already got 鈥� not shifting to a new technology but delivering value and efficiencies from our existing systems,鈥� he said.