Posted by kevin kern
I recently read an article in “Midmarket CIO” entitled “Business technology is the challenging next step in IT Transformation.” The article challenges CIO’s to take IT and Business Alignment to the next level. It challenges CIO’s to get beyond simply complying with business needs and challenges IT leaders to have an opinion and a willingness to stand with non-IT leaders.
Makes sense to me. I’ll bet every CIO wants to be a trusted advisor to the business leaders in their organization, to be able to challenge them on business strategy and direction. Most CIO’s are very smart and strategic and can help bring innovative ideas to their business counterparts to further growth, efficiency, and innovation.
To me, though, a price of entry for having these conversations is that CIO’s need to demonstrate that they have their own “house in order” before they can start telling business leaders how to be more innovative. Most IT organizations are held together with chewing gum and bailing wire, utilizing spreadsheets and home-grown tools for managing projects, operations, resources, and budgets. And this causes CIO’s to constantly be in reactionary mode, struggling to give the business information on why projects are constantly late and why IT can’t get to all the pent-up enhancement requests. This is what I call “managing through the rearview mirror.” When IT organizations don’t have an integrated system for managing projects, operations, resources, and budgets, they are constantly going to be looking in the rearview mirror for something that might be coming at them from behind.
A strong IT Governance process and A strong IT Governance process and tool can help CIO’s get out of the business of “managing through the rearview mirror” and into the business of looking forward and being proactive.