IT Priorities for 2005

Computerworld - This is a good time to consider IT management priorities for the coming year. Prioritization is key for IT managers, since there are so many directions in which they may be pulled. Often, IT managers get distracted by noble efforts that turn out to be dead ends or should have been delegated to others.
Obviously, all organizations are different, and your priorities will be affected by what's going on in your organization. However, these are the factors that I think are most likely to affect your priorities in the coming year.
1. The evolution of the CIO into an executive leader. This is certainly not a new thing, but it continues to be a significant issue for IT leaders. It's clear that in most organizations, successful IT executives are those who focus on business issues and organizational change management -- not just technology management. We know that many IT (and business) projects fail to deliver value to the organization. Often, this is because people in the organization struggle with the changes associated with new technology. For instance, you may build and deploy a CRM system, but the project will succeed only if the organization's sales force uses the system. Companies are looking to IT managers to help prepare them for the changes associated with IT initiatives. This means that IT managers will be asked to assume more of a leadership role in their companies.
Action item: Sharpen your communication skills and bone up on change management processes. (See "Leading Change," QuickLink 51175.)
2. A sharper focus on business processes. Companies are starting to realize that their business processes are assets. Some are going so far as to create the position of chief process officer. Others are looking to IT leaders to expand their roles in this area. At a minimum, the renewed focus on business processes presents a career opportunity for IT managers. Often, IT-oriented process models, such as ITIL and Cobit, represent good entry points for IT managers who wish to take on a more process-centric role.
Action item: Consider how you can improve the business-process discipline within IT and the business at large.
3. The demands of compliance. Regulatory compliance efforts, such as those required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, represent a significant deployment of IT and business resources. In the coming year, companies will continue to form ongoing compliance processes, dividing roles and responsibilities between IT and the business. Smart IT leaders will be proactive about this activity, since it's critical to the long-term success of the company.