As the role of the CIO evolves and organisations face further challenges, CIOs are required to juggle many roles with different business units in order to meet their mandates.
This is according to Len de Villiers, group CIO at Telkom, who says many CIOs are often perceived as unpopular or unsuccessful in their attempts to effectively engage different sectors of the business.
Speaking at the IDC's South Africa CIO summit today, De Villiers notes the role of CIO is not getting any easier as it changes. "You need to have an integrated approach, be a peace-maker, a bridge-builder while managing upwards to a CEO and board, and you have to care about front office," he says.
"You need to be everywhere all times," De Villiers adds.
Mariana Kruger, integrated technology services executive at IBM, says the company's 2013 global C-suite study notes CIOs who play a strategic role cannot ignore 'basics' such as keeping a keen eye on technology resources.
"Even though CIOs have many responsibilities, they are expected to excel at the basics," says Kruger.
De Villiers lists categories he says are necessary for CIOs to adequately meet their responsibilities:
Strategy formulation and articulation
CIOs need a clear understanding of where they are taking their organisation and how this is communicated throughout teams and business units.
Communication to all stakeholders
"You need to be able to internally communicate to the company as well as externally," says De Villiers. The role of CIO will demand constant and thorough communication to relevant parties.
Service delivery and systems availability
Ensuring IT systems are efficient and reliable remains a core responsibility for CIOs. "You need to keep that airplane in the air while you do maintenance and upgrades and also keep your customers happy."
Resources planning and organisational design
Managing technological resources also requires effective planning of how they will be deployed and used within an organisation.
Project prioritisation and delivery
In an attempt to juggle numerous responsibilities, De Villiers says CIOs need to take a practical approach to projects which can be completed in line with the needs of an organisation. "You need to be tough and deliver on objectives."
Business engagement and alignment
Every company needs to understand its challenges by actively engaging business units. De Villiers notes how storing and maintaining quality data remains a challenge for many organisations.
Data centre management and services provisioning
While many CIOs have begun considering the importance of data centres and storage, says De Villiers, many still struggle to yield high quality data through effective analytics.
Vendor and contract management
This relates closely to effective communication and management of stakeholders. CIOs need to keep a close eye on relations with vendors as part of their move to ensure further engagements for the good of the business.
Talent management/skills attraction, development and retention
De Villiers says none of the points he lists will be effectively implemented without a good team surrounding the CIO.
Process optimisation and automation
All processes undertaken by a CIO need to be well-managed in order to optimise their functionality.
Financial management (operational expenditure and capital expenditure)
CIOs are unlikely to see their budgets increase every year. It is up to them to balance the needs of their functions with the money allocated to their role.
Staff entropy management
CIOs need team members and staff members who will be able to adapt to changes without negatively affecting the business requirements. Preparation and dedicated personnel will be vital, according to De Villiers. "If you want to play the All Blacks, you don't take a Currie Cup team," he quips.
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