*A CIO plan for an uncertain year*
By Martin Veitch, Industry Commentator
With so many rogue factors in the offing, CIOs need to ‘think different’ and hatch Plans A, B, C and D.
Dealing with economic uncertainty is, by its very nature, something even the most optimistic pundit finds it difficult to claim expertise in. We’ve had economic downturns before of course – they’re relatively clockwork phenomena, coming around every seven years or so, in a familiar boom-and-bust cadence. But ancillary factors are grey areas. For example, most CIOs of a certain age, but not the latest intake, will have witnessed inflation and deflation spikes and troughs. Depending where in the world we have been, we may know a little to a lot about fluctuating supply chains or rising costs of commodities. Sustainability mandates? They’ve crept up on us but we’re riding that wave – and general regulatory compliance: yes, we have deep knowledge of the asphyxiating effects of red-tape. Wave after wave of automation and innovation – yup, although AI may be the mummy and daddy of all these. A skills crisis: again yes, but not one featuring the mass resignation of corporate America. Pre-COVID-19, not many of us will have experienced a significant change in who is required to come into the workplace, when and for how long. Few of us, mercifully, have experienced the rise of political populism and, a thankfully even smaller minority, wars. But all of the above at once? Give us a break!
As Apoorva Chhabra, Principal Analyst at Gartner, has written:
“CIOs know they must function with flexibility and agility to thrive in the dynamic world. The realities of a disrupted workplace, business model transformations, operating model changes and IT delivery model changes all force fundamental shifts in the activities and responsibilities of the given role of a CIO.”
If the gig sounds tough, then at least there’s one carrot among the forest of sticks that Chhabra notes: “All of this also creates opportunities for the CIOs to expand their executive leadership.”
A chance to shine
That’s surely true. In our darkest days, those who conduct themselves with bravery and a calm head tend to reap the rewards. In the pandemic, digital workarounds for business process changes mandated by lockdowns saw CIOs step up and take the limelight and the plaudits. Here’s another chance for every CIO to show their worth.
The CIO is at the very heart of ways to save money in a crisis and support the big opportunities when the waves crest.
And anyway, it’s part of the job description for IT leaders to deal with uncertainty. It’s the nature of data analytics to sniff out opportunities and risks. It’s part of failover, business continuity and disaster recovery to prepare for the worst in the knowledge that it may never happen. It’s part of user interface design to conduct A/B testing and it’s part of the current CIO agenda to have a Plan B, C and D as well as a Plan A.
The CIO is at the very heart of ways to save money in a crisis and support the big opportunities when the waves crest. They are also the people charged with making the nuts and bolts of change work, whether that’s supporting sustainability, governance, flexible working or anything else. So the strong CIO should be primed for the challenges ahead.
For this article, I spoke to and/or messaged about a dozen IT leaders and asked them about how they’re coping or plan to cope with a year like no other. Here are some highlights of their responses as to how, as one put it, they plan to “somehow make a silk purse from this year’s sow’s ear”.
Lockdowns saw CIOs step up and take the limelight and the plaudits. Here’s another chance for every CIO to show their worth.
Get your priorities right, park what’s non-critical
Given some obvious constraints it’s going to be essential to have something more than a tick-box to-do list. CIOs need short-term and long-term plans. “I’ve always got a list of three essential tasks for the year with fall back plans if for some reason they can’t be achieved,” an IT Director in the logistics sector told me. “This isn’t a time for faffing about, speculation or smelling roses. It’s security, rationalisation and essential modernisation and that’s it. Much as I’d love to have a team set up for testing AI, most of that’s had to go on hold until 2024. You can’t do it all.”
If it moves, lock it down
Speaking of security, several CIOs noted the need to fix “anything wonky”, as one put it, that is a legacy of lockdown and flexible/remote working. That means VPNs, supporting secure home broadband, end-user training and implementing zero-trust security approaches. “Most of us winged COVID-19, then we piloted formal WFH. But we can’t justify that any longer,” one CISO said.
Review and reduce
Tough times tend to be great for software audit management. Finding out what you have, what’s being used and what can be reduced or which licences can be optimised is a good fit for the current climate. “First job of 2023: finding out what we can switch off,” says one CTO.
If it’s a chore, automate it
For companies at midway points of pilots or implementations, it makes sense to continue reducing costs. So, RPA for rote clerical tasks and chatbots and IVR for customer service are in. But let’s be straight here: these will typically lead to job reductions. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to get away with saying that we can get people to do more high-level, creative tasks,” said a Chief Digital Officer. “I doubt it’s the year for that.”
Think different about process
One hospitality IT Chief said he’s getting good results from the deployment of a work management platform that helps schedule tasks and roles based on availability and competencies. Installed in 2022, it’s already paid itself back and led to fewer overlaps and more chance of having the right person for the job in hand. “Too many people do this in their heads and unless your brain is a computer, that won’t work,” he said.
For sanity’s sake, count and listen
It’s easy to lose track when under pressure. Are you cutting too much or too little? Why have changes not had the intended effects? Questions like this can best be addressed by tracking progress to show data and in real time with so much change afoot. But another way is by listening to customers and staff, said a retail CIO. “That’s your ultimate arbiter really,” she said. “They’re the ones who know when things change for better or worse.”
It's OK to say ‘no’
Sometimes, CIOs feel under pressure to innovate but it’s OK to put some projects away for another day (or year). With staff potentially feeling vulnerable, change isn’t always an asset. Hitting ‘pause’ on speculative IT projects should carry no shame. “We’re not quite locking down but every penny spent is under scrutiny and that’s OK after several restructurings and the pandemic,” said a CIO working in the technology sector.
The lack of confidence in 2023 can be seen everywhere. We’re forging ahead without the usual beacons and guardrails but with some common sense and a willingness to share knowledge, we should live to fight another day. So, good luck to all CIOs – and the rest of us too.
