Drumroll, please! After a few intense weeks of processing and judging submissions, we have now reached an exciting moment: announcing the 10 semifinalists for the prestigious Forrester Technology Strategy Impact Award 2022 for North America! These companies are well on their way to becoming future fit.

Without further ado, the semifinalists are (in alphabetical order):

  • AARP
  • AIG
  • Callaway Golf
  • Falabella S. A.
  • Navy Federal Credit Union
  • Oshkosh Corporation
  • Teladoc Health
  • Total Quality Logistics
  • UPS
  • Verizon

The judges — five distinguished Forrester technology analysts — have been impressed by the quality of these submissions. The 10 semifinalists have developed enterprisewide technology strategies that put the customer at the center of their technology organization’s operating model. Here are some of the characteristics that distinguished the North American semifinalists:

  • Customer obsession is technology’s North Star. For these semifinalists, customer obsession is their tech team’s core strategic driver that enables the company to thrive in often highly competitive industries. These tech leaders have developed a deep understanding of their end customers, their behaviors, and their needs. They use detailed persona profiles and customer journeys to guide every decision. They also leverage strong data instrumentation across platforms for fast, connected customer insights. Plus, these firms are committed to their customer-obsessed strategy with a continuous approach to its implementation.
  • Platforms, practices, and partners drive modern IT operating models. These semifinalists also differentiate themselves in how they implement their future fit technology strategy using modern platforms, practices, and partners. They leverage platforms to accelerate enabling end-to-end value streams and delivering relevant value to customers. Their modern practices include the delivery of value in functional increments done through the lens of distinct customer personas with strong alignment between business and technology teams. This improves practices through training programs with a growth mindset. Take DevOps as an example, which increases the speed of deployment and lowers change failure rates. Finally, they value partners beyond their technology capabilities and build the connections and commitments that keep all parties pulling in the same direction with a culture of shared success.
  • The business value of technology is clearly articulated. Another key differentiator for these semifinalists: They have the data to prove the business benefits of their technology strategy. Tech leaders think in customer terminology and assess platform decisions based on customer and business benefits. They anticipate and quantify outcomes before taking technology decisions. By focusing on both customer and employee experience, they accelerate business growth and reduce costs. As a result, these semifinalists reinvest significant portions of their IT budgets into building new digital business platforms to enable business growth.

What’s next? Three Technology Strategy Impact Award finalists will be announced later in August. We will then announce the winner during Forrester’s Technology & Innovation North America Forum, taking place September 29–30, both in person in Austin and virtually as a digital experience. Stay tuned!

If you’re in EMEA and APAC, you still have time to submit your nomination packets! EMEA companies can visit here, and APAC companies can visit here to review complete award nomination criteria and submit an entry. The deadline to submit a nomination is July 15 for EMEA and July 31 for APAC.