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07/07/2016

Five questions senior managers should ask about IT in a digital world

In this era, companies are exploring digital business models, processes, and automation technologies, as well as seeking to hire and retain people with different skill sets. The IT organization can no longer be considered just a service provider; how it manages the integration of emerging technologies can help determine the success of a company's digital strategy. What are the 5 key IT questions board directors should ask – this is the topic of a recent article by McKinsey and Co.

To make their companies successful in the digital world, senior managers need to learn a second language – that is the IT language in their departments. Oftentimes, both board and IT managers seem to speak different languages – while board directors are more concentrated on revenues and sales, IT managers think in a language which is centered on traditional cost-related metrics, such as head counts and bottom lines. According to the authors of the article, board directors are more likely to gain such fluency if they routinely ask these five critical questions relating to the IT organization’s performance:

• To what degree does technology permit core business activities to happen?
• What value is the business getting from its most important IT projects?
• How long does it take the IT organization to develop and deploy new features and functionality?
• How efficient is IT at rolling out technologies and achieving desired outcomes?
• What skills and talent does IT need to achieve desired outcomes?

By systematically considering each question, boards can generate practical, detailed conversations about both IT projects and processes. This approach can help directors understand exactly how much value IT is creating for a company and how its IT capabilities stack up against those of competitors. 

While companies might need time to adapt to the shifting conditions of the connected market, asking the right questions can make the digital transition smooth.

You can read the full article here.