Stat's entertainment: Time wasting
- Reduce text size Decrease text size
- Increase text size Increase text size
- Print article Print
- Jump to comments Comment
- Share this article Share
- Email article to a friend Email
The eternal struggle to clearly demonstrate the value of IT is being hampered by at least one crucial element: CIOs wasting too much time doing something else.
The eternal struggle to clearly demonstrate the value of IT is being hampered by at least one crucial element: CIOs wasting too much time doing something else.
According to research commissioned by Dunstan Thomas Consulting, a software services company, 73% of IT directors complain that the bulk of their time is "wasted" on fire-fighting activities of no strategic value to their business. Two-thirds of the 1,000 IT managers surveyed said that their time might be more profitably spent making the case for IT investment, but more mundane matters, like making sure existing systems work properly, get in the way.
Perhaps these frustrated IT managers deserve some sympathy - but then again, perhaps they do not. Dunstan Thomas' survey revealed that 71% of IT managers perform risk assessments "rarely" or at best once a year. Could it be that if some IT professionals spent more time anticipating problems, they might free up the time they currently spend fixing them?
Certainly, questions need to be asked about the mindset of the 37% of respondents who said they did not feel their role included sharpening the competitive edge of their organisations. Perhaps the answer to this question is that 37% of IT managers still have the misfortune to work for organisations that see no strategic value in IT. Until their managers find the time to demonstrate the folly of this view, their opinions are unlikely to change.
