Managing IT as an Investment: Partnering for Success

Maximizing the value of technology—and the success of your IT organization.

The effective use of technology is key to the success of every enterprise. But 70% of IT organizations are still viewed by their business counterparts as cost centers, not value centers. This book shows IT leaders how to change that perception. Renowned CIO Ken Moskowitz and top IT consultant Harris Kern offer a plan for building IT environments that exceed strategic goals, while nurturing unprecedented levels of productivity and job satisfaction. They provide both "Rules of thumb" and an intellectual framework for building and running an outstanding IT organization. Key topics include:

• Defining IT strategy and making it operational
• Managing your human capital: recruiting, hiring, transitioning, mentoring, and managing performance
• Controlling the risks and expectations associated with any IT project 6 Deepening relationships with line-of-business leaders, senior executives, and the boardroom Building a track record of success
• Reaping the benefits of standardization

Drawing on the experiences of one of the world's most successful IT organizations, Moskowitz and Kern demonstrate exactly how to manage technology as a strategic asset, partner with the business, build a culture based on shared values and create exceptional value-and be recognized for it throughout an organization.

"To really leverage the value of information technology, you need an IT organization that is genuinely aligned with your business goals and objectives. Ken Moskowitz and Harris Kern show you exactly what it takes to build that organization. If you want to learn how to turn a cost center into a strategic asset, this is the book you need."

—Leonard Kim, CIO
GE Capital

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Preface

Introduction

Webster's describes Shangri-La as an imaginary, idyllic utopia or hidden paradise. For any IT professional, that usually means getting on an airplane and traveling to a resort with white sandy beaches and a beautiful ocean to de-stress. The daily pressures of IT are excruciating, and if allowed, IT professionals would hop on a plane to Shangri-La at least once a month.

Our definition of the ideal IT environment is one that is designed to exceed the enterprise's strategic goals while nurturing the individual to achieve exceptional productivity and job satisfaction. This environment can be recognized by the following signs:

• Educated and committed enterprise executive management
• Complete alignment with business goals and objectives
• Strategic decisions that accommodate a rapidly changing, dynamic business environment
• Cost-effective results
• Common architecture (i.e., processes, tools, standards, etc.)
• Individuals blossoming instead of being buried in a bureaucracy
• A culture where honesty, mutual respect, and job satisfaction flourish

In this environment, it is not an overstatement to say, "Everyone looks forward to Mondays."

The most important ingredients are executive management commitment and personal involvement. Without these, very little is possible. Even something as mundane, though of exceptional importance, as a common architecture is unachievable without genuine executive management support. The following is an example of a Standard Enterprise Infrastructure:

• Global Standard Desktop Operating System
• Global Standard Desktop Application Suite
• Global Standard Server Operating System
• Global Standard Messaging and Collaboration Platform
• Global Standard Remote Access
• Global Standard Product Platform
• Global Standard Data Backup
• Global Standard Virus Scanning
• Global Standard Server Hardware
• Global Standard Data Backup
• Global Standard Monitoring
• Global Standard Development Database
• Global Standard Development Methods and Tools
• Global Standard Desktop Hardware
• Global Standard Network

This formalized infrastructure cannot be lip service, as we have seen at hundreds of firms. True commitment means enforced decisions. True commitment requires educated understanding. It is the job of the CIO to demonstrate the relationship between understanding the strategic technology initiatives and realizing the long-term success of the firm. If executive management fails to see the value of their involvement, it is the CIO's role to change that perception or to think about his or her next career move.

We find this environment at S&P because S&P has a strong culture based on clearly understood, shared values. These shared values are not simply conceptual; they are enumerated, discussed, reinforced, and acted on. Values are guiding principles, basic beliefs that are fundamental assumptions on which all subsequent actions are based. As a whole, values define the personality and character of an individual or group. Values are the essence of an individual or group and provide guidelines by which to make consistent decisions. In reality, values are ideals that are indicative of one's vision of how the world should work.

This book seeks to demonstrate how the consistent application of a few very basic premises will lead to professional success (and personal satisfaction) in IT.

• Chief executive officers (CEOs) will find what their IT function can contribute and how to maximize its value to the enterprise.
• Executive managers will learn how to market and enhance their value to the enterprise.
• Line managers will learn how to accelerate their career paths.
• Aspiring managers will understand and master the "rules of the game."

Through actual examples, we will provide rules of thumb and an intuitive, as well as intellectual, understanding of these basic principles.

Table of Contents

Foreword.


Preface.


Acknowledgments.


Introduction.


1. The Maturing of IT as a Business Discipline.