Organisational agility, forward planning and expanding the IT department’s boundaries are the themes of Gartner’s CIO resolutions for 2006, in a report released this week.
The resolutions, divided into three categories, are:
Choose 2006 tactics towards a 2008 strategy1. Educate your business about the second internet revolution (before someone else does)2. Set some ‘do not migrate’ orders in advance3. Target 2008 for major innovation delivery
Insist on agility — in the heart of the organisation 4. Get yourself and your team ready for your next jobs5. Start a significant ‘software as a service’ implementation as a trial and education6. Organise your merger and acquisition capability
Push beyond 2005 comfort zones — in value focus and technology 7. Revisit capitalisation with your CFO8. Build your brand and your team9. Refresh your meetings with the CEO10. Check out some 2006 ‘hot’ technologies
“Like any new year, 2006 is going to present a fresh set of challenges, but it will be unique because it will combine business turbulence with the transition of IT value contribution and multiple changes in technology itself,” says John Mahoney, chief of research for IT management at Gartner.
“CIOs should include these resolutions in their work programmes, in addition to the core portfolio. Those who don’t use the resolutions to get themselves and their organisations in good shape may find 2007 an unpleasant white-knuckle ride.”
The first theme — choose 2006 tactics towards a 2008 strategy — comes out of the long-term nature of many of the IT challenges which are facing businesses, such as virtualisation, adoption of a service-oriented architecture, and the proliferation of consumer devices within the corporate IT environment. Gartner says CIOs should create road maps to deliver short-term objectives with a longer-term vision.
With many economists and financial planners looking towards 2008 as a key year for economic confidence, Gartner suggests that IT departments should be able to offer “IT-enabled opportunities” within planning debates, which it says will now be looking to 2008.
Gartner’s second theme — insist on agility in the heart of the organisation — looks at the potential issues for CIOs and their IT departments in the coming year. High-performance web-based applications, and mergers and acquisitions could offer enormous opportunities and uncomfortable situations respectively, and Gartner says IT departments should plan ahead to deal with these effectively.
Theme three — push beyond 2005 comfort zones in value focus and technology — asks CIOs to look at changing and strengthening their department’s business relationships, especially with the CEO, and also to look at and consider new technologies.
Gartner suggests CIOs should take a look at technologies outside of their normal sphere of business, such as the latest web applications or gaming platform. Specifically, the firm says CIOs should aim to “see, touch and use” at least three of these items: web based micro-applications like Writely.com or Numsum.com; Flickr.com; a new generation games console e.g. Nintendo ‘revolution’ or Xbox 360; a head-mounted display; Google Earth; an in-house pilot of a consumer technology (e.g. work-from-home over broadband, PodCast company communications)
“In 2006 businesses and their IT organisations will be caught between opposing forces,” says Mark Raskino, research fellow at Gartner. “An unpredictable economy and declining business confidence will combine with a surge in innovation as markets begin to embrace emerging technologies. To get through this confusing and unstable period, IT leaders must drive their organisations with one foot on the accelerator and the other hovering over the brake.”
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