Perspectives & Strategy

The success of any organisation rests in the hands of the executives and their ability to solve problems. The CIO is not immune from this process, in fact when it comes to business change then they are probably at the heart of it. A good sense of perspective is important as is the need to solve the problems that are most solvable first.

As humans we frequently chase after the impossible. If we succeed then we are heroes but failure can carry with it dire consequences for the executive. Generally speaking we should look to solve those problems that can be solved first. With each problem we need to:

• Define it
• Identify any barriers to success
• Know how serious the problem is
• Identify options that can assist us
• Look at the outline costs involved

Fundamentally businesses should look to change its processes before it looks to change its systems. This may seem to be an odd statement coming from an IT executive, but the average IT department already has an average of three years of work on its plate, without a major system change being put into the pipeline. I am not saying we don’t change systems, but I have seen corporations where good functional systems are jettisoned at major cost without performing a full GAP analysis and understanding whether an upgrade or add-in capabilities can fulfil the desired goal.

I am not opposed to a major systems change if it is deemed necessary but it is essential to go through the right level of thinking before making any decision to change systems.

Strategic problem solving requires the definition of corporate goals and plans (this is a set of longer term objectives) as well as a shorter term blueprint of shorter term change requirements. It is necessary to work through your set of business problems using agreed decision making and problem solving methods. These work hand-in-hand with a well defined corporate IT architecture.

In these tight economic time it is important that we work smarter not harder.
Peter B. Giblett