Adapt to Uncertainty With a Technology-First Action Plan

Shrinking budgets, escalating trade wars, and endless policy and regulation changes are putting an increasing strain on organizations and their IT departments. In spite of spending cuts, talent shortages, and vendor uncertainty, this disruptive environment offers an opportunity for IT to be more than simply the first responder from a technology standpoint. Organizations weathering the headwinds of macro-uncertainty are hungry for proactive digital leadership, and CIOs are best equipped to be the architects of that strategic response. Our step-by-step blueprint can help IT leaders build a Technology-First Action Plan that will turn today’s volatility into tomorrow’s value.

Too much of IT’s energy is spent on keeping up with this economic and policy turmoil, instead of on positioning the organization to thrive within it. IT leaders must prioritize risks and optimize costs to ensure IT is able to foster innovation, including AI transformation, within their organizations – not only to drive organizational value, but to showcase IT’s worth as a technology-enabled organizational leader. This is IT’s moment.

1. Cut costs to free up resources for innovation.

Innovation drives new ways of generating organizational value but often sees its budget slashed amid budget constraints. IT leaders must cut unnecessary costs and redirect that spending to the people, resources, and budgetary capacity their innovation efforts will need to overcome today’s turmoil.

2. Meet the moment. Take the lead.

As much as today’s uncertainty is a strain on IT’s resources, it can also be an opportunity. By demonstrating that their technological know-how can be used not only to solve problems but also to enable better decision-making, CIOs can prove their ability to lead not just IT, but the organization as a whole.

3. Build an adaptive IT team.

With technology advancing at an exponential rate, you will never permanently close the skills gap. Focus instead on building sustainable learning and development practices to enable your staff to retain knowledge and develop in-demand skills as they are needed.

Use this step-by-step blueprint to realign IT to lead through uncertainty

Our research offers guidance and templates to make a clear assessment of IT’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and where they can be leveraged. Use our Technology-First Action Plan framework to empower IT to lead the organization through disruption.

• Assess uncertainties and opportunities by leveraging this moment to explore where the organization is most vulnerable and where it is most poised to further lean into technology risks.
• Review IT Spend & Staffing tools and services to find costs that can be either cut or channeled toward innovation opportunities.
• Build your Technology-First Action Plan by identifying and prioritizing initiatives that will drive the organization forward, and consolidate those initiatives into a 12-month plan.
• Prepare to execute by defining the organizational value of your plan and building an adjustable communications strategy to bring stakeholders on board.