Real Business of IT: How CIOs Create and Communicate Value

by Richard Hunter

Step 1: Change your thinking to avoid the value traps. The road to (IT) hell is paved with good intentions. Avoid the value traps: practices that seem to be good ones but actually prevent IT from delivering and communicating value. Step 2: Show that IT provides value for money. As the “cheap information officer,” you and your team demonstrate that the IT organization is providing the right services, at the right level of quality, at a competitive price. Step 3: Show how IT improves business performance. As the “chief improvement officer,” you and your team help everyone make the connection between investment in IT and improved business performance. Step 4: Show how you have value beyond IT. As the “CIO-plus,” you operate as a peer on the executive team, providing value beyond IT itself.