An incomplete vision
Your organization has recently decided your teams need a new tool to simplify their work and generate added value.
Has a CRM supplier provided a convincing demo?
Are you looking into an ERP that is strongly recommended by a counterpart at another organization?
A member of your team has taken the initiative of implementing a cloud file sharing solution that is useful for collaborating with colleagues and external partners. You don’t believe there’s any need for the IT department to get involved to make it a company-wide practice and increase the team’s efficiency.
In each of these cases, your criteria for choosing the solution are based on your functional requirements and a product or person’s reputation. This is completely normal.
But the danger is that even if the solution looks good on paper, it might not be tailored to the myriad technological components that make your business so unique.
If a tool is deployed and doesn’t live up to your expectations, you can say goodbye to its implementation costs and hello to dissatisfaction with IT.
The lesson you can learn here is that your business case is not complete without a technological component. And that’s why your CIO/CTO and their teams should be consulted before making your decision.
No business case without IT requirements
IT experts will be able to make sure your business solution meets key requirements.
- Technological monitoring
The exponential growth of IT solutions has made decision-making more complex for you and others in your position. It’s up to the CIO/CTO to keep an eye on trends and available tools on the market so they can recommend suitable options. - Your legacy systems
Your solution needs to be easily integrated into an ecosystem and its pre-existing software and infrastructure. One of the CIO/CTO’s missions is to make sure your organization’s computing resources and assets are profitable to the company and that the new tool can be used in an optimal way. - Non-functional requirements
You know what to expect from a solution. Your IT team knows what it takes for it to meet your goals. This is essentially about robustness, performance conditions, and security as well as any legal IT or business continuity aspects.
The CIO/CTO is a key partner who will ask the right questions and guide you to the most suitable solutions, all with the level of service you expect and keeping your business needs in mind.
This involves putting the IT team in charge of a few criteria when deciding the solution and delegating some roles and responsibilities for the project.
In brief, answers to questions such as “Do we go with the cloud or should we host the business solution on premise?” might not be your field of expertise as a business leader. You simply want the solution to work and deliver results. That’s why it’s not your job to answer these kinds of questions. But partnering with a CIO/CTO will ensure the answers will have a positive impact on your organization!
Interdependence and opportunities
Every business department is now affected by drives toward modernization with technology playing a key role.
Are you a marketing or sales director? Customer experience now goes hand in hand with SMAC tech (social, mobile, analytics, and cloud). The same goes for HR directors and their mission to improve your employee experience.
Are you a director of operations in the manufacturing industry? Industry 4.0 is all about merging your operational technologies and IT department.
Are you a financial director? Your advisory services will need to take into account automation and advanced analytics.
At R2i, we believe the future is bright for companies that understand the importance of a close collaboration between IT and business leaders. We’re here to help them in their mission to transform for the digital era. One decision at a time.