CIOs are called upon for an increasingly varied set of skills. The diverse capabilities CIOs need fall into four general categories–strategist, catalyst, technologist, and operator.
The Operator
Position description:
- work with the organization and executive team to deliver reliable, high-performance IT systems and infrastructure.
- identify costs and productivity improvements, develop security frameworks for IT assets
- increase IT process maturity, improve integration
Key responsibilities:
- Create IT-enabled business capabilities
- Provide detailed IT service costs for effective cost management in delivering IT services
- Create service-level agreements (SLAs) with business areas and operating-level agreements between IT functions and vendors to ensure SLAs are met
- Create and maintain continual improvement programs and projects
- Execute an enterprise-wide IT security program and capabilities to ensure all IT assets are protected
- Establish and maintain effective governance for IT controls
- Manage technology obsolescence and vendor risks
The Strategist
Position description:
- Work with IT and a seasoned executive to develop or enhance business partnerships to improve technology-enabled capabilities
- improve value of IT investment portfolio
- Drive long-term view of technology investments
Key responsibilities:
- Establish an ongoing IT strategy development process
- Review and align IT strategy with business leaders
- Periodically share vision and updates on how IT can create value for organization
- Establish and operate a project portfolio management and budget management process that deploys, tracks, and adjusts program and project resources
- Creat and operate a joint business/IT governance process to prioritize and approve IT investments
- Establish ongoing communication process to share updates on IT financial performance and value delivered to the organization
- develop a strategy to fully utilize existing information to create maximum impact for business and customers
The Technologist
Position description:
- Optimize the organization’s use of technology
- Evaluate technologies and design technical architectures to manage complexity and improve business processes
Key responsibilities:
- Create or enhance technical architectures
- Standardize diverse technology platforms
- Explore technologies to support innovation
- Identify and analyze new technologies, such as cloud and AI
- Establish the organization’s technical vision
- Develop IT strategies to improve business process efficiency
The Catalyst
Position description:
- Define a clear, IT-enabled transformation vision and manage complex change programs while continuing to deliver reliable IT services
Key responsibilities:
- Create a vision and objectives for IT-enabled capabilities that support innovation for the organization
- Establish a joint organization/IT process to deliver innovations supporting the innovation strategy
- Create objectives for the transformation of IT processes, capabilities, and operating model in support of the transformation vision
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with senior business leaders to gain active support for transformation agenda