Meta Group's 12 Days of Christmas

Willie Appel, VP International at the Meta Group, talks us through a seasonal wishlist...

The depressed European market over the past year has forced IT organisations to scrutinise expenditure in search of productivity and efficiency gains. CIOs must first identify their current position before continuing with existing projects or embarking on anything new.

Although the economic outlook for 2003 is uncertain, we can all benefit from a bit of wishful thinking. So if Santa does his stuff, here are some Christmas stocking items that might prove extremely useful to the CIO in the coming year:

On the first day of Christmas, the CIO was given... A Risk Management Process
Although risk management has been around for years, 2003 will see it repositioned high on the agenda to ensure there is a consistent approach for managing risk across IT and business. This is due partly to world events but also the whole complexity of the IT environment, the broadening of information access and rapidly tightening cycle times. Organisations must develop an adequate risk management process that consists of periodic assessment, mitigation strategies and communication of residual risks.

On the second day, the CIO was given... A Set of Risk Management Tools
The CIO needs a robust and comprehensive risk management capability that encompasses business continuity planning, security, project and programme risk, vendor viability and human resources. Above all, risk management must become an ongoing programme, not a one-shot effort. Situations and their associated risks change over time, so it is important to review all risk plans periodically and adjust plans.

On the third day of Christmas, the CIO was given... A Corporate-wide Security Policy
Security continues to be a major business concern, yet security programmes are still under-invested. To achieve an effective information security environment, a company needs to build a corporate culture that puts security at the highest level of importance. A truly security conscious company is driven by strong executive leadership and based upon business-relevant policies, clear accountabilities, effective processes and then the appropriate use of technology.

On the fourth day of Christmas, the CIO was given... Security Infused Across the Business
Security can no longer be an afterthought it must be part of every business decision and process. The CIO needs to ensure line of business managers in this new connected environment conform to security policy when procuring any IT product or service. Fixing problems afterwards will be very expensive and if an organisation cannot afford the fix, it will be insecure.

On the fifth day of Christmas, the CIO was given... Web Services
Web services are the true integration technology behind B2B, B2E and B2C transactions.
The addition of web services to the ebusiness platform mix will help organisations integrate processes with partners more quickly and efficiently, and adapt those processes more quickly as the competitive environment changes.

On the sixth day of Christmas, the CIO received... Human Capital Processes
Human capital processes will help the CIO leverage the talent within the IT team and to add value to the business. Ninety per cent of all organisational development issues are linked to people rather than boxes on an organisational chart. By creating a human capital management strategy that is linked directly to business goals, the IT organisation can create a team with the right people enabled with the right skills to assist the needs of the business.

On the seventh day of Christmas, the CIO was given... The skills to organise for agility and value
To weather the changes ahead, the CIO needs to cultivate a complex range of skills within the IT organisation. The attributes of IT employees of the 21st century are those of a partner and customer-centric problem solver. The should be performance driven, self directed, a team player and business focused. The solution is to make greater use of just-in-time training and to establish continuous learning processes. In addition, the IT organisation itself needs to focus on organisational transformation to create more agile and team-oriented processes.

On the eighth day of Christmas, the CIO was given... An IT Centre of Excellence
As IT organisations strive towards being centres of excellence, the need to focus the majority of their effort on security, web services, IT portfolio management and enterprise architecture. All four of these areas have been selected to accelerate IT value management and continue IT and business realignment to establish an ongoing and connected environment. For optimum operational excellence, Meta Group has identified a further four key areas - enterprise architecture, programme management, performance engineering and human capital management.

On the ninth day of Christmas, the CIO was given... Value Management
Value is both real and perceived in light of the business perceptions of the IT role. Without compelling value statements, price will determine the final value. If a business looks at the IT organisation as a cost centre, then the value of IT will be measured in terms of budgets. However, if the IT organisation is seen as a strategic partner, it will be measured by its market value and the perception of how IT can drive business change.

On the tenth day of Christmas, the CIO was given... An Enterprise Architecture Programme
One of the primary objectives for the CIO is to identify and articulate a process and policy that will bridge the gap between business strategy and technology implementation. Enterprise architecture requires the creation of an enterprise architecture product as well as a process. It is not only about technology but information, business processes and solutions. Enterprise architecture is a means to an end, facilitating continuous realignment between IT and business and establishing a capability to facilitate ongoing or required change.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, the CIO was given... IT Portfolio Management Process
With IT portfolio management, the CIO takes the role of chief investment officer or portfolio fund manager. Responsibility lies in three key components: Run the Business, which involves core, non-discretionary investments Grow the Business, which involves discretionary enhancements and support for competitive differentiation and Transform the Business, which requires massive innovation to broaden both the reach into new markets and to rebalance existing market penetration. The focus is to drive down the Run the Business costs, clean up the Grow the Business costs and Transform the Business by defending individual project life cycles.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the CIO was given... A three week holiday in the Caribbean
CIOs know these are never 'given' - to achieve each one involves a great deal of hard work and time. And although three weeks' Caribbean holiday will only put off the agony, it is still a perfect gift in any Christmas stocking.

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