IT and the Board of Directors: The Adventures of an IT Leader, Teaching Note

"The Adventures of an IT Leader" invites readers to "walk in the shoes" of a new CIO, Jim Barton, as he spends a difficult year learning effective information technology leadership, sidestepping the pitfalls that make the CIO job the most volatile, high-turnover job in the business. In this chapterJim Barton has an opportunity to reflect on how far he and his IT team have come in his first months as IVK's new CIO. He and his organization have stepped up to some tough issues, such as taking control of the IT budget to expediently take action on IT infrastructure investments that were not appropriately made, and gaining control of an important infrastructure modernization project. Barton's early IT management leadership performance culminates with a presentation to the IVK Board of Directors on (1) what he found upon assuming CIO responsibilities, (2) results to date, (3) current IVK strengths and weaknesses, and (4) opportunities and risks going forward.