Bimodal IT only helps mediocre organisations
Bimodal IT is a delivery model, hyped by Gartner, with two modi operandi:
-mode 1 for delivering/evolving stable and secure business critical systems (of record) in a controlled way on highly integrated environments
-mode 2 for quickly delivering systems (of engagement) for successful digital transformation with exploratory and experimental methods
Gartner's Bimodal ICT only improves organisations that are still in the dark-ages of ICT
Differentiating between delivery approaches appeals to the experience of many of us, however this oversimplified model from Gartner is nothing new under the sun. The tension between agility and stability goes back to the early days of IT. The balance should be kept by tailoring the sets of risks managed, not just by simply trading off Quality against Speed and Costs.
QA
The mediocre ICT organisations that take Gartner seriously might benefit from the evolution from the one-size-fits-all to the two-sizes-fit-all model. Professional organisations, with control over their IT delivery, make risk management decisions at the level of individual products and services. Market leaders, like Amazon and Google, already work risk profile based since their foundational days, with Enterprise Release Management practices providing the end-to-end control over all dimensions of the IT delivery.
References:
Gartner Bimodal IT
Continuousdelivery - the flaw at the heart of bimodal it
Saying goodby to bimodal it