The State of the CIO -- 2007

No organization of any size can operate efficiently without information technology (IT) -- the use of technology in managing and processing information. Larger organizations employ Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to coordinate this effort.

CIO magazine surveyed more than 500 CIOs on various topics for the 2007 version of their annual report called The State of the CIO. Since Web-related projects are coordinated, either directly or indirectly, through IT departments, Web professionals should be aware of the challenges facing today's IT leaders. Let's review a summary of the survey results.

More than half of CIOs expect to add full-time staff in 2007. The top three skills most in demand are the following:

• project management (52%)
• application development (50%)
• database management (39%)

Web professionals with expertise in these areas can get the attention of CIOs with documented experience in one or more of these three areas.

Web-related technology solutions were rated lower on the list of skill sets in demand:

• Web services (32%)
• Website development (26%)

Web-related technologies that are part of Web services include XML and SOAP.

CIOs need help. They are swamped with work citing the biggest barrier to job effectiveness as follows:

• Overwhelming backlog of requests/projects

The best way for Web professionals to help CIOs with this backlog is to provide solutions that help CIOs meet their expectations for 2007. When asked "What impact do you expect IT will have in the year ahead?" CIOs responded as follows:

• Enable business innovation (54%)
• Reduce business costs (48%)
• Improve customer (external) satisfaction (48%)
• Create competitive advantage (38%)

Web professionals should consider setting goals for the New Year to document how their Web projects meet the above four criteria. By quantifying these results you can get the attention of business leaders and create your own competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Before your next meeting with a business leader to discuss a Web project download and review a copy of the 2007 State of the CIO survey. The 16-page summary is free, but registration is required. By understanding the IT needs of an organization you will be in better position to solve problems, overcome objections and land the assignment.