Background – Unsatisfied Business Partners
A government agency was struggling with their IT organization. Business departments were not satisfied with the service from IT, nor did they feel like the department was aligned with the business. Overall confidence in the IT department and leadership was rapidly decreasing. They decided a change of leadership was necessary, but struggled to understand the issues, the solution, and the type of leader that would be able to mature their IT organization. They hired ITDirections to provide interim CIO responsibilities, assess the organization and situation, determine recommendations to set them on a new course, and help them hire new permanent leadership.
The Challenge – Culture Issues and Time of Change
The current CIO was dismissed, and ITDirections was immediately brought in to assist. Whenever there is a leadership change, it can be unsettling for an organization. Additionally, there were cultural challenges with finger-pointing, lack of teamwork, and years lacking accountability and direction.
The Solution – Fresh Leadership and a New Direction
ITDirections completed a formal assessment of the IT organization, applications, infrastructure, and processes. Immediate improvements were identified and implemented in all areas. The interim CIO worked with business partners to formulate a new IT direction, plan, and roadmap. Permanent leadership candidates were interviewed after a complete understanding of the skills and profile required for success in the new environment.
The Results – Successful Movement in a New Direction
Both the IT assessment and new strategic plan was provided to candidates in the interview process so they could articulate how they could assist the organization to achieve their goals. A permanent CIO was hired with a high-level of confidence they could be successful in the new environment. The interim CIO was able to provide the new leader with a complete documentation and understanding of the current environment, including strengths, improvement areas, opportunities, and threats as well as details on the new direction and plans. Armed with this information and head-start, the hired CIO was able to hit the ground running, and demonstrate success in a short amount of time.
