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Speed--Or Lack Of It--Kills

Being slow to define, build, and deliver new or enhanced systems is a long-standing criticism of many IT organizations and, increasingly, the antithesis of the speed and agility that are so vital to IT's ability to enhance business results.

The good news: IT organizations and the CIOs that lead them are keenly aware that they must be faster and more responsive to the business. Prolonged development cycles are "not an acceptable approach today," says June Drewry, global CIO of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Her peers clearly agree. In a survey of CIOs, speed and agility for the first time appeared on the top 10 list of concerns. In a finding I consider closely related, those same CIOs say alignment of IT and business is among their top three concerns. If inertia is the order of the day in a company's IT department while the overall business imperative is being able to quickly respond and adapt to changing business conditions, then IT and the business are clearly out of alignment.

Other issues cited by CIOs tie directly into the need for speed and agility as well. IT strategic planning, project management capabilities, and introducing rapid business solutions are also major points of concern, the survey finds.

At Chubb, the company is taking advantage of reusable software components, among other technologies, to help it move more quickly. These technologies help business units change rules within applications without IT involvement, says Drewry. At least one important conclusion can be drawn from this example: Some business organizations, if their business priorities are impeded by IT processes and a lack of agility, will be prepared to take matters into their own hands. Better to get out in front of their priorities than to unleash cowboys whose desperation for better systems may cause them to make matters worse.

Is your IT organization finding that speed and agility are indeed more important than ever before? What's driving the need for speed? Can your company adapt to this new priority?

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