To succeed as a CIO, you must develop a solid reputation as someone who can deliver as promised for the business–on time, within budget and according to business needs. To do so, you must tackle one of the most complicated (and politically charged) aspects of running your shop: managing demand.
Sound demand management discipline is important for the following reasons:
-
The only way to know the true productivity of an organization is to know precisely what is being worked on.
-
Distraction-type work is eliminated.
-
Transparency to the business breeds confidence from the business.
A CIO who understands the demand side of the equation will be able to accurately assess the supply side.
Know Precisely What Is Being Worked On
Demand management involves the proper allocation of resources and assets in a way that delivers the greatest capabilities that have been prioritized, collectively, by your organization. Prioritizing internal technology initiatives can induce culture shock. The first step the CIO must take in managing demand is to know all the “entry points” where work is being introduced into the IT organization. To do so, you’ll want to:
-
Document all work being performed.
-
Identify whether it’s a large-, medium- or small-scale initiative (more on this below).
-
Quantify the cost.
-
Identify a business owner who is invested in the success of this work.
Understanding the pipeline is important because it helps the enterprise comprehend, and then maximize, its investment in IT. The first step is simply identifying all the work currently being done.