Bimodal IT

Bimodal IT is a type of strategy or setup where a single IT department is split up into two parts – one part addresses maintenance and support issues, while another part pursues innovation and expansion. Bimodal IT helps companies to keep up with these two very different responsibilities in a more direct way than by trying to delegate both within one IT department.

The concept of Bimodal IT was introduced by the IT firm Gartner who defines Bimodal IT as "the practice of managing two separate but coherent styles of work: one focused on predictability; the other on exploration. Mode 1 is optimized for areas that are more predictable and well-understood. It focuses on exploiting what is known, while renovating the legacy environment into a state that is fit for a digital world. Mode 2 is exploratory, experimenting to solve new problems and optimized for areas of uncertainty. These initiatives often begin with a hypothesis that is tested and adapted during a process involving short iterations, potentially adopting a minimum viable product (MVP) approach. Both modes are essential to create substantial value and drive significant organizational change, and neither is static. Marrying a more predictable evolution of products and technologies (Mode 1) with the new and innovative (Mode 2) is the essence of an enterprise bimodal capability. Both play an essential role in digital transformation."