AI Automation & Sourcing Decisions – Designing the Target Operating Model
What work will remain — and who should deliver it in the future?
With the rise of artificial intelligence and automation, the role of IT is changing fundamentally.
Many operational activities will increasingly be automated, while other responsibilities become more strategic and complex.
For CEOs and CIOs this raises a critical question:
Which capabilities should remain inside the company — and which can be automated or delivered by external partners?
In other words:
What should the future operating model of the organization look like?
A robust IT strategy today must therefore address three topics together:
Technology and automation
Organization and capabilities
Sourcing and partner strategy
Designing a Value-Driven Digital Operating Model
In practice, internal activities and services increasingly fall into four categories.
Each category implies a different organizational model: Internal capabilities, automation, shared services, or external sourcing – a well balanced sourcing strategy.
Area | Content | Organization |
|---|---|---|
Automation / AI | Data analytics, document processing, testing, standardized processes | Software / platforms |
Strategic capabilities | Architecture, governance, transformation, business process design | Internal |
Shared services | Standardized IT and business processes | Global or regional service centers |
Outsourcing / partners | IT operations, development, support, back-office functions | Nearshore / offshore |
The real challenge is defining these boundaries clearly.
Overly complex and undocumented internal structures lead to unnecessary cost.
Excessive outsourcing creates dependency and loss of expertise.
A balanced operating model requires deliberate strategic decisions.
My Approach
I combine organizational design, sourcing strategy and IT strategy into one integrated decision process.
Together with executive leadership, business units and IT we clarify:
which activities can realistically be automated
which capabilities must remain strategic internal competencies
which processes are suitable for shared service structures
which services can be delivered efficiently by external partners
The result is a realistic target model for the organization, technology landscape and partner ecosystem.
The Outcome
The outcome is not an abstract strategy but a clear decision framework, defining:
which capabilities the company must build and retain internally
which activities should be automated
which services should be centralized
which tasks external partners should deliver
This leads to a Target Operating Model and organizational architecture that
leverages automation and AI
preserves strategic competencies
and integrates external partners where they create real value.