Building a winning technology strategy for the USOPC
Team USA explores a holistic approach to technology that fosters greater connectivity across the USOPC ecosystem.
The situation
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) maintains commitments to a wide variety of stakeholders, from athletes to host committees, National Governing Bodies, and the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee. Collectively, these groups help drive the success of Team USA before, during, and after the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They are aligned around mission, but, with their own unique interests and timelines, each organization takes its own approach to technology.
Having a disjointed technology ecosystem isn’t unusual within any industry. Individual departments maintain focus on reaching their own business goals, but with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA28) on the horizon, the USOPC knew a strategic and interconnected approach to technology would be crucial to capitalize on the swell of interest associated with the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The LA28 Games is poised to be a huge moment for the USOPC, and it will require tremendous coordination from the “home team.” The USOPC wanted to position stakeholders for success and help them get the most crucial work done ahead of the upcoming Games in 2026 and 2028.
USOPC business and technology leaders believed a more integrated approach to technology could foster greater connectivity within the complex ecosystem, but that would need to go hand in hand with identifying a better way to engage business and technology leaders across the USOPC ecosystem to set and manage their respective technology priorities. As the Official Professional Services Provider of Team USA, Deloitte stepped in to help craft a transformative strategy that could guide the journey toward upcoming Games editions.
Could a complex ecosystem adopt a simpler approach to technology?
The solve
To help inform that strategy, Deloitte needed a clear understanding of the organization’s aspirations, as well as insights into ongoing projects, workstreams, timelines, and dependencies to help business and IT leaders set priorities moving forward. Our first step was to understand the USOPC’s current capabilities and current-state technology architecture for a comprehensive view of the systems the organization was using.
Once complete, we intensified our focus on the needs of the business, including its many constituencies. We conducted interviews across the organization, in areas that included sport performance, athlete services, and marketing. This process informed our understanding of the business’s technology aspirations to help serve the wide array of stakeholders—from USOPC employees to athletes and fans. From there, we collaborated with business and technology leaders to determine which capabilities were the highest priority and what technologies would be needed to deliver. Based on those insights, Deloitte helped create a future-state technology architecture focused on a streamlined ecosystem fueled by a single source of data.
Across industries, it’s common for IT to be perceived as a business function rather than a business enabler. Deloitte helped design a new governance model to facilitate better integration between business and IT, with an overarching technology strategy—and a unified technology ecosystem—designed to drive business objectives more effectively.
Determine what the business needs, and the technology needs will follow.
The impact
In helping to build an overarching technology strategy, Deloitte helped the USOPC redefine how it makes technology decisions as an organization and better positioned the USOPC to capitalize on potential growth opportunities associated with the LA28 Games.
The resulting technology vision included 16 prioritized initiatives, a new governance model, and recommended investments based on four pillars aligned directly to the USOPC’s purpose. The new strategy has invigorated and enhanced collaboration between business and IT, as leaders use the framework to guide technology visions across the USOPC ecosystem.
Now, USOPC leaders have a realistic roadmap they can look to as they execute on Team USA’s biggest priorities, as well as a governance designed to accommodate new needs, systems, and priorities as they emerge along the journey to Paris, Milano Cortina, Los Angeles, and beyond.
Connected by a shared mission. connecting around shared technology.
Lou DiLorenzo Jr.
