Certification Magazine - December 2007 - (Page 32) JOB ROLES Chief Information Officer: Getting Down to Business ASHLEY POYNTER The chief information officer (CIO) must wear many hats. Because even though the CIO heads the information technology group within an organization, the scope of responsibilities and expectations for this title have expanded to focus on aligning technology to the needs of the business. As such, the diverse nature of a CIO’s job brings with it flexibility in duties and schedules. A precedent has been set for CIOs: A more dynamic, versatile and business-focused leader who can demonstrate how an IT arm is influencing and supporting the rest of the business in regard to sales, costs, profits and revenues. The IT function has become a business of its own. The CIO role has been revamped to cover an array of duties and tasks often tied to the business side of organizations. The CIO role and IT as a whole, however, are still evolving and have plenty of room to grow. Because of this, many adaptations must be made, and a CIO’s average day is anything but normal. Ellen Barry, CIO of Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), a municipal corporation that promotes and operates conventions, fairs and expositions in the Chicago area, said her day revolves around serving the customer rather than any set agenda. “My days rarely follow a plan, other than prescheduled meetings, because we attempt to be very responsive to our customers and the shows and events that utilize our facilities,” Barry said. “A typical day for me includes interaction with my operational units [operations and security, business systems and technical services] as needed, planning meetings with business unit leads, interaction with our technical service delivery teams (we have implemented revenue-generating technical services for our show organizers, exhibitors and attendees), meetings on potential new technical service offerings, meetings with our customers on potential sales opportunities and meetings with vendors.” Jeff Tietz, CIO of Fellowes Inc., a global manufacturer and marketer of business machines, records storage solutions and technology accessories, said his day starts the night before with a work-plan review for his group to address the most critical issues to the business. As far as the average day goes, there’s no telling what will fill the plate. “Is there such a thing as a typical day?” he said. “Morning begins with a review of communications, including e-mail and voicemail, followed by a check on the health and status of the systems. After that, we go into a regular day of understanding and addressing the needs of the business.” Being flexible is a core skill — it gives the IT group the ability to respond to and assist the business and its customers as issues arise. In this way, the IT facet is helping to drive business. Maintaining service levels is a top priority, and positive results depend on rapport between the IT department and the customer. Additionally, the business’ success and the IT department’s responsiveness go hand in hand. “The IT department is an integral part of the business,” Tietz said. “Part of my function is ensuring that we are delivering the value the business needs. One gauge of this is customer satisfaction, which is measured by our service level to our customers. So, we work with the business beyond the internal aspects. We also work with vendors and customers to understand how we can make it easier to do business with Fellowes.” An important part of achieving customer satisfaction is having a strong command of technology, as well as mastering soft skills that aid in personal interaction. The added emphasis on business means IT departments are being relied on more and more for attaining and honing business acumen. Both Barry and Tietz said people who become CIOs have gained extensive technical experience. To be 32 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE December 2007
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