If IT Is “Slowing Us Down,” You’re Asking the Wrong Thing Too Fast
It happens in nearly every transformation conversation. The business says:
“We just need IT to connect the systems.”
“It’s a simple dashboard — why is it taking weeks?”
“Can’t we just plug it in?”
And then comes the frustration:
“IT is slowing us down.”
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
IT isn’t the bottleneck. The request is.
When industrial companies push for speed without scoping real impact, IT does what it’s supposed to do:
Protect system integrity.
Not delay progress.
Protect from avoidable damage.
Because behind every “small request” are unspoken dependencies:
- Does it touch core infrastructure?
- Does it duplicate logic elsewhere?
- Does it introduce long-term ownership issues?
These aren’t overreactions.
They’re risk management.
Here’s where the business usually gets it wrong:
- Asking for delivery before agreeing on design. If the business can’t explain what the dashboard is for, IT can’t build it right.
- Assuming speed equals value. A fast launch that breaks reporting later isn’t a win — it’s debt.
- Skipping integration mapping. Most delays come from discovering mid-build that one system doesn’t sync the way you thought.
- Treating IT as the last step, not a co-designer. Involve them from the start, and watch how friction drops.
If you want IT to move faster:
- Bring clarity, not just urgency “We need a report” isn’t clear. “We need to align lead-to-win metrics across three systems by quarter-end” is.
- Define ownership early Who maintains the report? Who updates the logic? Who fields questions after go-live?
- Respect system constraints Ask, “What’s the safest way to do this?” — not “How fast can we push it?”
- Replace “just add this” with “help us structure this right” You’ll get speed — without the rework.
When you shift the question, the response changes.
IT isn’t slow.
They’re just trying to stop you from asking for speed that breaks everything else.
Ready to stop guessing and start seeing?
Let’s explore what transformation clarity could look like
—
with IT at the table from the start.
Dategro partners with mid-sized industrial companies to transform disconnected commercial data into unified performance dashboards—without replacing core systems or creating IT headaches.
