Managing IT as a Business: A Survival Guide for CEOs
Typically, information technology ranks highly among most companies’ top five expenditures. Yet IT continues to be one of the least understood and most poorly managed areas in business. While all executives recognize the importance of technology as a means of improving customer service and of making work more efficient, few understand how to leverage IT strategically and how to use it as a driver of business success.Managing IT as a Business provides executives with practical advice on how to unleash the full potential of this critical function so that companies can derive maximum benefit. It offers a proven plan for bridging the gap between CEOs and CIOs that has, until now, impeded their ability to work together in order to craft objectives, establish budget guidelines, and develop metrics for measuring IT value and success. In short, with this book as a guide, business leaders will learn how to manage IT as they would any other functional business unit.Through numerous case studies that outline the lessons other senior executives have learned while maximizing their IT investment, Managing IT as a Business covers such essentials as:Bringing IT into the mainstream of the enterpriseManaging IT as a stand-alone business unit that advances corporate goals and increases profitsLinking IT strategy to corporate strategy from a perspective of practical execution rather than theoryHelping business units define their technology needs and risks, and enhance IT services through rigorous relationship managementInstitutionalizing within IT a culture of customer service, on-time delivery, high quality, and results-oriented performanceRewarding IT executives and managers based on how well IT initiatives drive profitsIn today’s hypercompetitive business environment, long-term success depends on quality customer service and information management. As a key driver of that success, IT has become increasingly important to any company’s survival. Embedding business-oriented performance measurements in all components of the IT organization may not be easy, but no forward-thinking executive can afford to ignore this business imperative.In Managing IT as a Business, Mark D. Lutchen offers CEOs the insight and practical guidance they need to get the most out of technology spending, to understand the real value of the IT business unit, and to increase revenues and minimize risks by taking advantage of new technologies. If information technology is to fufill its promise, executives need to prepare for fundamental change by questioning the way they currently think about–and manage–IT. For those seeking answers to such questions, this invaluable book is the definitive resource.