The adventures of an IT leader - Richard L. Nolan, Robert D. Austin (2009) - CIO Leadership

Extract

[...] The adventures of an IT leader - Richard L. Nolan, Robert D. Austin (2009) - CIO Leadership Table of contents 01 Summary of the book 05 CIO tech knowledge 02 Problems faced by IVK 06 Adapting to the role 03 What is a CIO? 07 Key learning points 04 Managing IT Characters Jim Barton Main character, the new CIO of IVK Bill Davies Former CIO of IVK Maggie Landis The kid Bernie Ruben Talented management consultant & Jim Barton's girlfriend Tech savvy young graduate who help J. [...]

[...] A high-level walk through of the department: ● Ruben: internal consulting, database, infrastructure & vendor ● Raj: customer support systems ● Tyra: loan operations, new application What are the problems faced by IVK corporation currently? Many problems in a situation of crisis ● Lack of trust from the investors and from the financial market ● Drop in investments ● Decrease in revenues/profits ● Drop in property and equipment net value ● General diminution of the assets ● Drop in liabilities' equity ● Drop in stockholders' equity ● Drop in operations expenses ● Decrease of stock prices and market values Question 1 In such a situation, why would new CEO Carl William appoint Jim Barton a non-technical manager to assume the position of CIO ? [...]

[...] Conduct a comprehensive IT assessment ● Reviewing policies and procedures ● Identifying areas for improvement ● Assessing the overall effectiveness of the IT department Question 5 Plan to prepare for the role of a new CIO 2. Developing a IT strategic plan ● Improving communication between departments ● Implementing new technologies ● Include metrics for measuring success to track progress overtime Question 5 Plan to prepare for the role of a new CIO 3. Build strong relationships with key stakeholders ● Meeting with other department heads to understand their needs and priorities ● Building relationships with members of the IT team ● Establishing trust and credibility will be essential for implementing changes later on Question 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS 1. [...]

[...] A job that faces many challenges ● Communication with other departments is key ● Acquiring IT and business knowledge ● Bridging the gap between IT and customer experience. ● Insufficient responsibilities given to IT department ● Gain recognition from the board and establish authority. Question 2 What is the job of a CIO ? A critical job for organizations and companies ● IT has become vital to business (to keep competitive edge, to scale, to protect customer base) ● Digitization is everywhere ● IT managers are gaining recognition and strategic positions Question 2 In what aspects is IT management different from management of other function? [...]

[...] ● Set IT-specific strategic goals aligned with the company The IT Business Align the business strategy with the company ● Strategic thinking: build a competitive advantage ● Identify opportunities of technological innovation ● Use IT as a driver for growth Question 4 What depth of IT knowledge must a CIO have in order to be effective? Why? ● Digital transformation (on internal operations) ● Make technical concepts accessible to everyone Drive change in the company ● Identify the trends that would disrupt the organization or make it more efficient strategic decision) Drive digital transformation Question 4 Plan to prepare for the role of a new CIO What has been done by Barton? [...]