3 Simple Tips for CIOs Undertaking an Automation Project

Last week, we discussed how the role of the CIO, far from being under threat, is becoming more vital than ever before for the successful implementation of wide-ranging projects – particularly where automation is involved.

However, to turn that perceived threat into a clear advantage, CIOs will need to embrace changes to their function in the same way they must embrace new technologies. When it comes to automation implementations, there are three key ways a CIO can help ensure success.

Own every project

As we mentioned before, digital officers are agents of change, not the people with the deepest technology knowledge. The CIO is there to support the desired transformational change by providing the right skills for the project at the right time.

Too often, CIOs don’t take sufficient ownership of a project to know what is truly going on. Relying on someone else lcan leave projects without the broad knowledge and experience required. Don’t be that person in your organization, put yourself at the forefront of every project.

Identify talent – and then set it free

The second ‘secret’ to a CIO’s role is in identifying – and, crucially, freeing-up – talent within an organization. The perfect person for a project might not be the most available – talented people are often the ones that end up buried in the day-to-day quagmire simply by virtue of being talented.

By removing the drudgery from the daily tasks of your most talented employees, you’ll be making the most of all the innovation within your business. Not only can automation help lighten this load, the right strategy also helps bridge the gap between legacy overheads and the expectations of a workforce used to ‘self-service’ IT.

…But don’t only rely on skill

For many, this is the tricky part, because as we’ve just identified, you want your most talented people working on your most ambitious projects. However, if the CIO asks a highly skilled person, but one that lacks an enthusiastic mindset, to be in charge of a project, it’s far more likely to suffer in the long-run.

Finding the person that has both the right skills and the right level of initiative is key – seeing through a transformational project takes energy and willingness, but too frequently businesses entrust them to the wrong people within an organization.

To find and unlock that organizational potential, it’s vital that staff aren’t stuck in the day-to-day grind of repetitive manual tasks – that’s what automation is for, after all.

To see how Redwood can help you on your way to transformational success, get in touch with us below.