Q: The notion of an Office of the CIO may be appealing, but it addresses the symptom rather than the cause. The root problem is functional consolidation of “computer people.” If the OCIO concept is effective, then why don’t insurance companies have a CMO (chief mathematics officer) to which actuarial, finance and accounting people report? A: You do see chief mathematics officers?they are called CFOs. Most companies centralize staff functions within the organizations of the CFO, CAO or COO (including functions such as accounting, finance, strategy, risk management, human resources and facilities) rather than letting each line organization duplicate these functions in their entirety. There are two reasons for doing this?fiduciary and efficiency. However, in separating these staff functions, there is always the risk that line organizations’ accountability and authority become muddled and diluted. It is the responsibility of those running these organizations to recognize the line as their customers, to ensure that ultimate accountability remains with those who can truly influence results. Q: My 11 years of experience as a field services manager and director tell me that the number-one thing that IT folks (techs) do worst is administrative tasks, while the number-one request from customers is for “administrivia”?report on this, quantify that, quote this, find the root cause on that…. Given budgets, this makes me want to retain dedicated IT administrative staffers to handle reporting and field client requests for data and information. A: Your comments get to the heart of the OCIO dilemma. It’s a great idea to provide staff support to line organizations in order for them to fulfill their obligations. In your case, it may make sense to conduct root-cause analysis on behalf of the technologist. However, it does not make sense to hold the staff organization responsible for remediation of the issue. Only those doing the work can be held accountable for the outcomes of the OCIO and administrative support functions. Q: What is a typical project management office (PMO)? Is there value to the PMO, and if so, what? A: I can’t imagine running an IT organization without some type of PMO, at a minimum as a mechanism for the CIO to see a consolidated view of project status and financials. Regardless of the form of the PMO?from centralized management of large enterprise projects to decentralized project management with centralized portfolio management, monitoring, reporting, standards and training?the mistake most often made is to hold the PMO, rather than the IT leaders, directly accountable for project success and the utilization of standard practices. To see more reader questions and answers from Susan H. Cramm, go to www.cio.com/leadership/agenda.html. Cramm is president of Valuedance, an executive coaching firm based in San Clemente, Calif. Her e-mail address is scramm@cox.net. Related content feature Key IT initiatives reshape the CIO agenda While cloud, cybersecurity, and analytics remain top of mind for IT leaders, a shift toward delivering business value is altering how CIOs approach key priorities, pushing transformative projects to the next phase. By Mary Pratt May 30, 2023 10 mins IT Strategy IT Leadership opinion Managing IT right starts with rightsizing IT for value While there are few universals when it comes to saying unambiguously what ‘managing IT right’ looks like, knowing how to navigate the limitless possibilities of IT is surely one. By Thornton May May 30, 2023 6 mins Digital Transformation IT Strategy IT Leadership brandpost Designing the campus of the future starts with high-quality 10Gbps connectivity By Huawei May 30, 2023 4 mins Network Architect Networking Devices Networking feature Red Hat embraces hybrid cloud for internal IT The maker of OpenShift has leveraged its own open container offering to migrate business-critical apps to AWS as part of a strategy to move beyond facilitating hybrid cloud for others and capitalize on the model for itself. By Paula Rooney May 29, 2023 5 mins CIO 100 Technology Industry Hybrid Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe