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Research Advisory Firm Releases Blueprint for CIO Success
Measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) is a critical step for business success today, but with an abundance of data, it can be hard for companies to know which KPIs to pay attention to. Metrics can be used as a tool to make informed decisions that enable the appropriate actions to deliver value, but they are often measured without any method or insight into how to take actionable steps forward.
Global IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group released its new blueprint titled “Key Metrics for Every CIO.” The goal of the advisory report is to help companies define and narrow down the metrics that support their vision, key stakeholders and the IT function. While all businesses are different, successful chief information officers (CIOs) stick to a relatively uniform roadmap for their businesses, and it involves not getting bogged down with unnecessary tasks and goals.
"Strategic CIOs monitor the right metrics relevant to their priorities, regardless of industry or organization," said Brittany Lutes, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group. "When CIOs provide a laundry list of metrics to stakeholders, it demonstrates that they are probably measuring more metrics than they truly could action. It also indicates a lack of trust in their IT leadership team, who are the ones who should be monitoring these commonplace operational measures."
According to the blueprint, the right metrics can help CIOs ensure that their team members are focused on the correct priorities, that IT is continually adapting to meet changing business demands, and that communications with the business use language that resonates with stakeholders.
Info-Tech Research Group recommends that CIOs measure strategic business metrics related to people or stakeholders that will impact the business. For example, these metrics can be related to the customers who will purchase the product or service, the decision-makers who fund IT initiatives, or the IT employees who will be driven to succeed. CIOs should avoid spending time on operational metrics such as delivery times, ticket resolutions, or the number of phishing attempts. Although these operational metrics are important, CIOs should empower their IT leaders to be responsible for their management.
Edited by Greg Tavarez
