IT chiefs to vendors: Be clear about your roadmap or we walk

Time and money is being wasted as because suppliers won't open up to their customers

IT directors want a better idea of the products they can expect to see from their technology suppliers so that they can plan more effectively.

Around two-thirds IT directors (68 per cent) feel that they've lost time and money due to poor communication from their suppliers about future technology, according to research commissioned by the UK & Ireland SAP User Group.

Uncertainty around product roadmaps means businesses end up looking for alternative options or spend money on costly customisation to meet their needs - only for their original supplier to provide the same functionality with the next product update.

A lack of communication was cited by 82 per cent of respondents as having a detrimental effect on their IT planning and strategy and said better foresight would allow them to make more informed decisions about hardware and software updates.

IT directors are keen to know more about tech company product roadmaps to help them plan more effectively
(Photo credit: Shutterstock)

The majority of IT chiefs (85 per cent) said they're frustrated by vendors being slow to communicate their product roadmap to them.

Such is the frustration about a lack of roadmap information that four out of five IT directors said they would consider switching vendor if they could have better visibility around future products.

"At a time when budgets are increasingly tight, IT departments need to be able to make sure they are fully maximising their IT investments. Therefore, it is understandable that organisations can become frustrated when IT vendors aren't very forthcoming when it comes to sharing product roadmap information," UK & Ireland SAP User Group chief executive Craig Dale said.

Around three-quarters of tech bosses also said they'd like to have more input into the product roadmaps of their technology suppliers by speaking to them earlier in the product development process.

Earlier discussions about requirements would also help tech vendors as it would reduce the number of customer requests for changes to products after they have been released.