Next Steps for Leaders in 2021
2020 and 2021 have been two years full of terms like “unprecedented” and “unanticipated.” Every industry has been affected in some way by the pandemic. Business models have changed and budgets have been cut. New challenges and priorities have appeared for almost every functional leader in the technology consulting space. Each support role faces a unique and specific set of trends and challenges, so Gartner has released an ebook to highlight how each IT leader needs to adapt in the coming year.
CIOs and Heads of Tech
For many CIOs, their biggest accomplishment was provisioning laptops and VPN connections for remote workers. Now that the world is over a year into remote and hybrid work, CIOs need to take full advantage of the new electronics and remove any prior roadblocks of the past year.
Security and Risk Management Leaders
With the increasing threat landscape, protection and risk mitigation have been a top priority for every organization in 2021. Leaders in this space need to ensure their workforce is knowledgeable on online risks, and that they have all the latest and greatest tools and processes in place to protect their organization in case of a breach.
Application Leaders
The market is transforming quickly and application leaders are faced with more changes and challenges at an accelerating pace. There are new frameworks, methods, tools, and much more, that have emerged. Leaders need to prioritize innovation and business outcomes.
Program and Portfolio Leaders
Program and portfolio leaders need to enable rapid transformation during these unprecedented times. The PMO office needs to adapt to new ecosystems, evolve alongside the organization’s digital maturity, and focus on innovation, oversight, and governance.
Infrastructure and Operations Leaders
Infrastructure and operations leaders need to build an innovative platform, apply cost intelligence, lower debt, forward fill skills, and enable anywhere-operations to be relevant in the post-COVID-19 world.
Enterprise and Architecture Leaders
Enterprise architecture leaders will be key enablers for digital business and be held accountable for helping the enterprise balance the risk and benefits period in this new rapidly changing environment. Enterprise architecture leaders need to have a plan to deliver high impact and outcome-driven advice.
Sourcing, Procurement, and Vendor Leaders
While 2020 was a year that many SPVM leaders had to find ways to cut vendor spending, 2021 is about finding ways to optimize costs and find reliable and trustworthy vendors. By 2024, 40% of large enterprises will be leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities in their sourcing process.
