The Strategic CIO

The Strategic CIO

by Philip Weinzimer
Released May 2014
Publisher(s): CRC Press
ISBN: 9781466561724

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Book description

Recognized as One of the Best Business Books for 2014 by CIO Magazine

Based on interviews with more than 150 CIOs, IT/business executives, and academic thought leaders, The Strategic CIO: Changing the Dynamics of the Business Enterprise provides insight, success stories, and a step-by-step methodology to transform your IT organization into a strategic asset that drives customer value, increases revenues, and enhances shareholder wealth.

The book details how strategic CIOs from FedEx, Procter & Gamble, McKesson, and other leading companies transformed their organizations. It illustrates the methods these CIOS used to become strategic partners that collaborate effectively within their organizations to leverage information and technology for a competitive advantage.

The text will help you assess the key competencies and skills required by IT personnel to partner with your business teams to create new and enhanced products and services that create customer value, increase margin, and enhance shareholder wealth.

The book includes powerful methodologies, time-saving templates, proven best practices, and helpful assessments. It also details a four-phase methodology, along with the associated activities and tools, to help your IT organization successfully transform into a strategic IT organization.

Gain insight into the four domain competencies and twelve associated skills required to build effective strategic IT organizations. Build your roadmap to success using the transformation methodology described in the text and you will be on your way to making your organization a strategic IT organization.

Read Philip Weinzimer’s recent article that appeared on CIO.com.

Table of contents

  1. Preliminaries
  2. Dedication
  3. Foreword by Filippo Passerini
  4. Foreword by Robert B. Carter
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Chapter 1 Introduction: The Changing Role of the Cio
    1. Final Thoughts
    2. Citations
  7. Chapter 2 Section Overview: How to Deliver Commodity and Business Services Exceptionally Well
    1. Delivering Services Exceptionally Well: Chapters 3 through 6
  8. Chapter 3 Business Value of Delivering Services Exceptionally Well
    1. Identify Business and Commodity Services Required by Business Units
      1. Send a Clear Message to the Business Leaders That IT Was There to Serve Their Needs
      2. Understand the Activities and Supporting Information Technology Required for the Business to Succeed
    2. Identify Key Stakeholders and Priority for Each Business Service
    3. Develop Enterprise List of Business Services
    4. Socialize across Enterprise
    5. Develop/Execute Work Plan
    6. Measure Service Delivery
    7. Continuously Improve
    8. Collaborate Effectively
    9. Organize for Efficiency
    10. Measure and Communicate Value of IT Services
    11. Chapter Summary
      1. Identify Basic Services for Each Business Unit
      2. Identify Key Stakeholders
      3. Develop Enterprise-Wide Business Services List
      4. Socialize across Enterprise
      5. Develop/Execute Work Plan
      6. Measure Service Delivery
      7. Continuously Improve
    12. Citations
  9. Chapter 4 How to Excel at Operational Stability
    1. Operational Stability
    2. Guiding Principles
      1. Less Is More
      2. Sound Architecture
      3. Effective Change Management Process
    3. Measure What’s Important
      1. Uptime
      2. Abnormal Terminations
      3. Performance
      4. Defects
    4. Services Portfolio
    5. Chapter Summary
      1. Guiding Principles
      2. Metrics
    6. Citations
  10. Chapter 5 How to Succeed at Project Governance
    1. Governance Framework
      1. Vision
      2. Executive Sponsor
      3. Business Owner/It Executive
      4. Georgia Technology Authority
      5. Background
    2. Georgia Technology Governance Process Guiding Principles
      1. Guiding Principles: Visible Leadership
      2. Guiding Principles: Defined Tactics
      3. Changes impacting scope, resource, financial, and timelines
      4. User acceptance of changes for business activities impacted by project
      5. Guiding Principles: Effective Communication
    3. Project Excellence Governance Processes and Metrics
      1. Project Portfolio
      2. Project Portfolio Management
    4. Succeeding at Project and Portfolio Governance
    5. Chapter Summary
      1. Guiding Principles
      2. Project Excellence Processes and Metrics
      3. Project Portfolio
      4. Project Portfolio Management Tools
    6. Citations
  11. Chapter 6 How to Measure and Improve the Business Value of IT Service
    1. Methodology Framework to Improve the Value of IT Services
      1. Develop Process/IT Services Alignment Map
      2. Identify Process KPI/Key IT Services Metrics
      3. Assess Process/IT Service Maturity
      4. Measure/Analyze/Report/Revisit/Optimize
    2. Chapter Summary
    3. Citations
  12. Chapter 7 Section Overview: Understand the Business, Focus on User Experience, and Improve Business Skills of IT Personnel
    1. Understand the Business, Focus on User Experiences, and Improve Competencies and Skills of IT Personnel: Chapters 8 through 11
  13. Chapter 8 Why Cios Need to Understand the Business to Succeed
    1. Mike McClaskey: Dish Network
    2. Scott Blanchette: Vanguard Health
    3. Steve O’Connor: CSAA Insurance Group
      1. Meet with Business Unit Executives and Key Staff to Understand How They Conducted Business as well as Identify the IT Services Provided by the IT Organization
      2. Dedicate Time, on a Regular Basis, for Self-Learning through Literature and Industry Journal Subscriptions
      3. Learn about the Industry from Subject Matter Experts
      4. Understand the Rules Used in the IT Systems that Support the Business Processes
    4. Niel Nickolaisen: Western Governor’s University
    5. Kevin B. Michaelis: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    6. Gregg Lewis: Ironclad Performance Wear
    7. Dick Brandt: Lehigh University Iacocca Institute: Global Village for Future Leaders of Business and Industry
    8. Chapter Summary
      1. Key Points
    9. Citations
  14. Chapter 9 The Importance of Understanding Your Organizational Culture in Building Effective Teams
    1. What Is Organizational Culture?
    2. Why Is Organizational Culture Important?
    3. How Do You Measure Organizational Culture?
      1. Competing Values Framework
    4. Measuring Organizational Culture Using the Competing Values Framework
    5. Viewing Results of the Organizational Culture Assessment
      1. High-Tech Manufacturer
      2. Government Agency
      3. Standard Parts Manufacturer
      4. Start-Up Companies
    6. Changing Organizational Culture
    7. Chapter Summary
    8. Citations
  15. Chapter 10 Key Competencies and Skills of a Strategic IT Organization
    1. The Difference between Competencies and Skills
    2. Competencies and Skills of a Strategic CIO and IT Organization
    3. Business Knowledge Competency
      1. Business Environmental Skills
      2. Opportunities and Challenges Skills
      3. Process Centric Skills
    4. Market Knowledge Competency
      1. Product Knowledge Skills
      2. Industry Knowledge Skills
      3. Competitive Landscape
    5. Technology Prowess Knowledge
      1. Technology Strategy/Adaptability Skills
      2. Organization Agility Skills
      3. Strategic Project Capability Skills
    6. Cross-Dimensional Competency Skills
    7. Sanjib Sahoo: CIO/CTO, Building a Successful IT Team
      1. Phase 1: Foundation Phase
      2. Phase 2: Growth Phase
      3. Phase 3: Optimization Phase
      4. Enablers
    8. Improving the Competencies and Skills of Your IT Organization
    9. Chapter Summary
    10. Citations
  16. Chapter 11 How to Measure and Improve the Maturity of the Strategic IT Competencies and Skills of Your IT Organization
    1. How Can I Measure the Maturity of My IT Organization’s Strategic Competency and Skills?
      1. Assess the Level of Knowledge and Competency of Your IT Organization
      2. Assess skill knowledge and application of knowledge for each of the three skills in each competency.
      3. Plot the Results on a Grid That Reflects the Maturity of Skill Knowledge Scores and Applying Skill
      4. Assess Results to Determine Gaps
      5. Observations Based upon the Scoring Template and Maturity Grid
      6. Develop a Plan to Improve Scores
      7. Implement a Continuous Improvement Program to Achieve Positive Momentum
      8. Building a foundation for growth
      9. Achieving business outcomes
      10. Alternative Variations for Using the IT Strategic Competencies and Skills Maturity Assessment (Figure 11.3)
    2. Chapter Summary
    3. Citations
  17. Chapter 12 Section Overview: Implement Initiatives to Improve Margin (Sales/Cost)
  18. Chapter 13 How Strategic Cios Focus on Initiatives to Improve Margin
    1. Tom Grooms, CIO at Valspar
    2. Randy Spratt, Chief Technology Officer, CIO, and Executive Vice President at McKesson
      1. Increasing the Speed of Integrating Acquired Businesses
      2. Aligning Technology Strategy across McKesson’s Product Groups
    3. Clif Triplett, CIO at Baker Hughes (2008–2013)
      1. From Chaos to Order
      2. Improve IT and Business Processes by Focusing on User Experiences
    4. Anne Wilms, Executive Vice President, CIO, and Director of Human Resources, Rohm and Hass
      1. Improve the Topline
      2. Instill Creativity in Organizations
      3. Leverage Business Intelligence
      4. Improve Business Processes
    5. Steve Heilenman, CIO at Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI)
      1. Visibility
      2. Control
      3. Testing Is Inefficient and Costly
      4. Optimization
    6. Helen Cousins, Former CIO for Lincoln Trust Company (Retired November 2013)
      1. Helen Cousins: Background
      2. The Challenge/Opportunity
      3. Building the Trust of the Business
      4. Driving a Shared Initiative to Improve Operational Efficiency
      5. Focusing on Creating New Value for the Business
    7. Chapter Summary
    8. Citations
  19. Chapter 14 Section Overview: Leverage Technologies Strategically to Innovate Value
    1. Section Overview
  20. Chapter 15 Why Leveraging Technology Strategically to Innovate Value is a Game Changer
    1. Leveraging Technology to Create Innovative Value Needs to Be a Core Competency for Every Major Corporation
    2. Exploiting the Internet
    3. Technology Trends That Innovate Value
    4. Leverage Technology Strategically to Innovate Value—Five Scenarios
    5. Chapter Summaries
    6. Citations
  21. Chapter 16 How Fedex Leverages Technology Strategically to Innovate Value
    1. Brief History of FedEx
      1. How FedEx Transformed IT into a Strategic Organization Leveraging Technology Innovatively: Four-Prong Approach
      2. Multiprong Information Strategy
    2. Improving Process by Leveraging Information
    3. Enabling Customer Access
    4. Leveraging Technologies Strategically to Innovate Value
      1. Infrastructure Improvements
      2. Leveraging New Technologies
    5. FedEx Culture: Creating Superior Customer Experiences
      1. People-Service-Profit
      2. QDM
      3. QDM Cup
      4. Ken Spangler, Senior Vice President of IT Responsible For FedEx Freight and FedEx Ground, Innovates IT to Transform How Freight Moves through the Delivery Handling Process
      5. High-Speed, Real-Time Rotation Technology
      6. Superior Customer Service
      7. David Zanca, Former Senior Vice President of Customer access Solutions at FedEx Services, Leverages Technology to Provide a Superior Customer Experience to Customers
      8. How Doug Bonebrake, IT Manager at FedEx Services, Uses Innovation, in Its Simplest Form, to Dramatically Improve Quality of IT-Developed Applications
    6. Chapter Summary
      1. Key Points
    7. Citations
  22. Chapter 17 How Procter & Gamble Leverages Technology Strategically to Innovate Value
    1. P&G History
    2. P&G Business Environment and Challenges
    3. Filippo Passerini, Group President of Global Business Services and CIO
    4. Leveraging Technologies Strategically to Innovate Value
    5. Digitize Strategy
      1. Decision Cockpits
    6. Visualize Strategy
      1. Business Spheres
    7. Simulate Strategy
      1. Develop New Products and Manufacturing Process Improvements
      2. Shelf Product Strategies
      3. Use-Case Scenario of Leveraging Technology Strategy to Innovate Value
      4. New Challenge: Running Business in Real Time
      5. Business Value Provided to P&G by Filippo Passerini
    8. Chapter Summary
    9. Citations
  23. Chapter 18 How Five Cios From Different Industries Leverage Technology Strategically to Innovate Value
    1. Dave Finnegan, Chief Information and Interactive Officer, Build-A-Bear Workshop®
      1. A Great Idea Is Born
      2. Role of Technology in Building Brand: Dave Finnegan, CIO
      3. The Changing Marketplace
      4. An Innovative Idea Is Commercialized
      5. Extending the In-Store Experience through Imagination
      6. The Age of Mobile
      7. Value of Leveraging Technology Strategically
    2. Perry Rotella, Group Executive of Supply Chain Risk Analytics and Senior Vice President and CIO, Verisk Analytics
      1. Verisk Background
      2. Perry Rotella, A Business-Focused CIO
    3. Leveraging the Credibility and Trust of the Business to Improve Margin
    4. Leveraging Technologies to Develop New Business Model
    5. Gary Wimberly, Senior Vice President and CIO, Express Scripts
      1. Express Scripts Overview
      2. Gary Wimberly, a Strategic Thinker and Business Focused CIO
      3. Rising Up to the Challenge
    6. Affecting Health Outcomes and Health-Care Costs
      1. Using Predictive Analytics to Combat Fraud and Abuse
    7. Innovating Value with Technology
    8. Stephen Pickett, Senior Vice President, Information Technology, and CIO, Penske Corporation
    9. Proactive Envisioning of Business Needs
    10. Optimizing Vendor Services across Penske Companies
    11. Improving Customer Service for Penske Customers
    12. Harry Lukens, Senior Vice President and CIO of Lehigh Valley Health Network
      1. Building a Foundation for Success
      2. Leveraging Technology to Innovate Value
    13. How the A-ICU Provides Life-Saving Results: Three Success Factors
      1. Three Best Practices That Make the A-ICU Successful: Great Teamwork, Improved Processes, and Enabling Technologies
      2. Great teamwork
      3. Improved process
      4. Enabling technologies
    14. Chapter Summary
      1. Key Points
    15. Citations
  24. Chapter 19 Section Overview: How to Measure the Strategic Maturity of Your IT Organization
    1. Strategic IT Organization Transformation Phases
    2. Measuring the Strategic Maturity of Your IT Organization
      1. Refresher on How to Measure and Improve the Maturity of the Strategic IT Competencies and Skills of Your IT Organization
    3. Assess the Strategic Maturity of Your IT Organization
    4. Scoring the Assessment
      1. Four Dimensions of the IT Strategic Maturity Grid
      2. Assessment Techniques
    5. Chapter Summary
  25. Chapter 20 Final Thoughts
    1. Business Challenge
    2. A New Approach for Managing in the 21st Century
    3. Develop an Enterprise Early Warning Decision Support System to Reduce Enterprise Risk
    4. Citations
  26. Afterword
  27. Appendix A: Chapter Summaries
  28. Appendix B: Alphabetical Listing of 156 Executives Interviewed for this Book

Product information

  • Title: The Strategic CIO
  • Author(s): Philip Weinzimer
  • Release date: May 2014
  • Publisher(s): CRC Press
  • ISBN: 9781466561724