CIO Career Coach: Bringing a product management mindset to IT

Welcome back to CIO Career Coach, a video series I created with CIO.com and IDG.tv. This season, we’re discussing the skills that top CIOs are developing to be successful in the new era of IT. 

Last week we talked all about changing the culture in IT, or how to turn your team of order takers into order shapers. Today’s topic is “Bringing a Product Management Mindset to IT.” 

For the last 30 years, IT’s role has been to support or enable a company’s business strategy. As such, companies used software to automate processes, like payroll, finance, or procurement. 

But today, software and data are making their way into a company’s products and services – including products and services that generate revenue – so IT’s role is changing. IT no longer stops at supporting business strategy. It often defines it.

Think about it: Utility companies are putting sensors in people’s homes to track usage, car makers are using software to create a digital driving experience, and healthcare systems are using data for proactive wellness programs.  

When every company is becoming a technology company, management is populating the product development organization with software engineers, or they are asking IT to deliver revenue generating products for the first time. Either way, the lines between IT and product are beginning to blur.  

So what does this mean for the CIO? Find out this this video.