Tool Sprawl: How to Avoid & Overcome

There is no shortage of digital tools, applications and platforms designed to address every need of IT organizations. IT leaders often find themselves inundated with promotional emails, LinkedIn InMail’s or old-fashioned cold calls trying to sell them on why a particular tool addresses one particular niche better than another. It is no wonder why organizations often find themselves grappling with a phenomenon known as “tool sprawl.”

“Tool Sprawl” refers to the unchecked expansion of applications within an organization, where leaders or departments deploy singular tools or platforms without a clearly defined or cohesive strategy. The result? A plethora of tools and applications supported by individual teams, with overlapping or competing functionality, leading to inefficiencies, confusion, and increased costs. There are, however, strategies that organizations can employ to avoid and overcome tool sprawl, ensuring a more streamlined and effective digital ecosystem.

Understanding the Phenomenon:

Tool sprawl typically begins innocuously, with teams or departments adopting new tools to address specific needs or challenges. Over time, however, this ad-hoc approach can lead to a proliferation of applications across the organization. Each team may prioritize tools based on their immediate requirements, without considering how they fit into the broader organizational landscape. The result is a fragmented digital landscape, with redundant tools, silos, and a complete lack of integration.

The Challenges of Tool Sprawl:

The consequences of tool sprawl can be significant. It leads to inefficiencies as teams struggle to navigate a maze of disparate tools, each with its own learning curve and interface. Additionally, overlapping functionality between different tools can lead to confusion and duplication of efforts. Ultimately, organizations incur additional costs in terms of licensing, training, and IT resources as they struggle to maintain and support multiple applications.

How to Overcome Tool Sprawl:

1. Define a Core Application Stack: Organizations can mitigate tool sprawl by establishing a defined core application stack that serves as the foundation for digital operations. This stack should consist of essential tools and platforms that address the organization’s overarching goals and requirements. By standardizing on a core set of applications, organizations can reduce redundancy and ensure greater cohesion across teams.

2. Implement an Application Review Board: To prevent the random adoption of new tools, organizations can establish an Application Review Board (ARB) tasked with evaluating and approving the introduction of any new applications. The ARB should consist of representatives from various departments to ensure a holistic perspective. The ARB should challenge all new platforms against the Core Application Stack, preferring the core stack over introducing new applications to the environment. By centralizing decision-making regarding tool adoption, organizations can ensure that new applications align with strategic objectives and complement existing tools.

3. Unlock the Full Capabilities of Existing Platforms: In many cases, organizations already possess powerful platforms that are underutilized. Rather than adding new tools to address specific needs, organizations should explore the full capabilities of their existing platforms. This may involve providing additional training to employees or engaging with vendors to understand how to leverage advanced features. By maximizing the value of existing investments, organizations can minimize the need for additional tools and streamline their digital infrastructure.

4. Seek Outside Assistance: Often, IT leaders “don’t know what they don’t know” regarding the capabilities of existing platforms or how to best leverage the applications existing within their environment today. As the capabilities of platforms like ServiceNow and M365 continue to increase, there is significant value in having the knowledge and experience to unlock the potential of these platforms. Hiring an outside consulting firm to advise on how to best leverage existing platforms or develop a tools consolidation roadmap can offer considerable benefit to organizations and help them to unlock the hidden.