You're an outstanding CIO in a quality firm, running the business of IT. You have a lot of good people in your organisation. So why are you still getting it in the neck from the board? Why do they keep telling you that IT isn't delivering? Why isn't IT as good as they expect for such a quality firm?
Root cause
We see lots of IT organisations, typically led by high quality CIOs. We sometimes see them being let down by their management teams, because the people aren’t in the right roles, or frankly, because they’re just not good enough; the net effect is IT isn’t being managed properly.
This isn’t all about structure or formal process. We often hear the same complaint: "My structure's sound - I've got a head of strategy and architecture; I have programme and project managers; I’ve got someone to look after the day-to-day service delivery and people to look after and manage important business relationships - what's wrong?"
Part of the answer
There’s nothing wrong with that on its own. The structure may be perfect, but that’s only one component of successful IT management. Understanding the IT supply chain end to end, and knowing the IT support processes are also components of the answer, and most CIOs know this and are typically taking steps to ensure the right sort of IT operating model is maintained.
The silver bullet
There is no silver bullet. However, the right structure and operating model mean little without the correct mix of quality people: they will bring it alive, and can even create success without the right structures and processes.
It's easy to lose focus on the key people in your organisation with all the pressures the business brings to bear. Take a long, hard and honest look at your management team and decide how many are really up to the job of delivering IT to the standard that a firm like yours needs.
Are they a group of inherited specialists, who've mentally stayed put as the business has grown and they have come up through the ranks? Do they possess the broad skills and experience required, and are they capable of pulling everything together and responding to new challenges?
Identify who you should retain, who can develop and whether you need to go fishing for some new talent. Cast your net accurately and carefully, and don’t rush, because getting it wrong will hold you back for a long time. There may be a need to hire interim managers for a short period of time, but filling gaps with people who don’t transfer their skills to the rest of the team is just putting off the evil day.