The Balancing Act of a CIO
Lack of User Knowledge about IT Capabilities
Unreasonable expectations accompanying demands for development from the IT Department
Lack of proper communication leads to breakdowns between users and development as to software development needs
Subtopic
Criticism about resource availability at the IT level may in fact be a reflection of a lack of resource capabilities at the business unit level
Management of a Department AND a Company
Resource allocation for the purpose of administration of the Information Technology Department affects the ability of IT professionals to participate in business-critical projects
Balancing the utilization of outsourcing as a tool for non-critical Information Technology development work versus the use of internal, full-time employees affects project scheduling, budget and administration of the IT Department
Strains within the Information Technology Department will become a pervasive part of the work that is done by that department; as an operational unit of an organization, this can have a lasting effect on the way IT is perceived by other business units
Executive Buy-In
Whether an Operator, Laggard, Mechanic or or Advisor, a CIO without some level of Executive support is essentially an empty seat
In organizations where the CIO is considered a true "C-Level" executive, buy-in has already been achieved
Where this is not the case, a CIO is forced to answer to executives that may lack technical expertise or interest, and may view IT as a cost generator or hindrance to the organization
Being Cost Conscious versus Cost Effective
The cheapest possible solution
Subtopic
While trying to balance business needs with cost conscious purchases, an IT Manager is forced to weigh what is necessary versus what is desired
The question becomes: Why should IT Be the party of no?
Example: A web portal for the sales people to roll out to customers, or a much needed data classification system for the network administrators to better govern data security - how should a CIO prioritize these issues
Managing the Balance of Functionality and Security
Users want maximum functionality with minimum impediments to that functionality
But does this make sense?
A CIO must be able to communicate the how and why security is necessary to systems and within a company's network as part of his/her role within an organization
Without data and network security, what safeguards does a company have of its most private and confidential business assets?
Never Time to Do it Right, Always Time to Do it Over
CIOs frequently are faced with unreasonable deadlines accompanying incredibly complex projects
Typically, even a strong CIO cannot overcome a business-driven demand for a new software or platform for an organization
The challenge to the CIO is how to take the impossible and make it feasible within the constraints of time and resources within an IT Department