IT in the Spotlight

June 13, 2008

IT budgets are finite. But the demands on IT always seem infinite. Making matters worse, CIOs have to work faster than ever before. In the past, organizations had 18 to 24 months to deliver new IT systems. Now CIOs and their teams are being asked to deliver tangible results in just 30 to 90 days. These demands translate into tremendous pressure on CIOs and their organizations.

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, simply working faster isn’t enough. Rather, CIOs also need to achieve world-class resource utilization, and management processes need to be revised in light of this new market dynamic. If anything, CIOs should focus even more on their people. Specifically, CIOs should consider:

Managing what the organization already has. This involves consolidating infrastructure, eliminating shelfware, knowing what resources exist and how they are used, reducing redundancy and increasing utilization.
Managing change. Shortened time frames accelerate change. A change management process is needed that can both support the rapidly evolving needs of the business and minimize the cost and disruption of change.
Measuring results. More specifically, measuring the impact of IT on key business processes, such as order throughput and end-user service times, must be tackled and understood.
Practicing governance. CIOs must ensure that their people, processes and technology all support business initiatives and meet legal and regulatory mandates. This task typically involves both an assessment of the internal and external risks related to the organization’s current processes and a managed approach to address the most significant risks.

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IT in the Spotlight

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