Plan, Program & Execute - 5 Ways How CIOs Can Become Better Business Partners

Technology plays an integral part in all areas of an organization. To improve technology outcomes, Information Technology (IT) departments must work strategically with each business unit to understand their objectives and the operational plan to achieve their goals. 

To help organizations thrive in the world of constant change, CIOs’ business strategy must shift from the singular role of service provider into an expanded position of a strategic business partner to the C-suite. Below are the five steps to take on your CIO business strategy journey.

1. Drive Change vs. Maintaining Status Quo

CIOs are traditionally expected to maintain the internal technology environment of an organization. This expectation emphasizes cost reduction and efficiency, and CIOs have historically excelled in this role. However, organizations demand more insight into results and revenue today, and technology is critical in providing this data. 

To align with the push to maximize revenue, CIOs must develop a robust strategic plan with an external focus, driving the business with result-producing changes wherever possible. This external focus requires IT to ask what value they bring to the customer. The CIO should understand the customer's pain points and offer better, faster, or more advanced options to reduce or resolve customer challenges.

2. Build Accountability Into Tech Innovation

Every year, organizations make significant investments in new technology. Deployment and management of these technologies put CIOs in a unique position to hold the rest of the C-suite accountable for the technology's return on investment (ROI). In this role, a CIO needs to understand what each technology investment should achieve and take the initiative to follow up on results.

By ensuring the organization invests in results-driven technology, not only is the CIO eliminating waste, but they are also (and much more importantly) identifying where the organization can improve. By coming alongside other leaders to capitalize on technology spend ROI and cultivate transparency in the C-suite, the CIO's business strategy is critical in helping the organization leverage its resources.

3. Train Departments With a Focus on Results

The CIO’s team has a unique 360-degree perspective of technology and how it fits into the broader technology ecosystem. With this expertise and insight, the IT team trains end users on the technical capabilities of a hardware or software solution. 

However, more inclusive training incorporates a business focus; it teaches not only the technical aspects of a tool but also how the tool will improve the productivity of the end user. The end user should know what to anticipate as their proficiency grows – whether that is increased speed, enhanced reporting, or better customer service.

4. Develop IT Employees to Align With Business Objectives

It is not enough for only the CIO to understand the strategic business side of the organization. To successfully align with all business units, all IT employees must thoroughly understand business concepts, vocabulary, and tactics. 

CIOs can enable their teams by implementing periodic training on the business basics. IT employees should understand the business model, value propositions, and sales cycles. 

5. Be Agile

In a business environment that is rapidly changing, opportunities must be acted on immediately to capture a competitive advantage. In the past decade, the most successful organizations could scale with ease. An adaptable organization hinges on the CIO’s ability to implement agile IT management and swiftly equip an organization to pursue opportunities.These are just a few of the ways of managing IT assets. To know more, read this latest article by Zluri.