Chapter Four: The Cost of IT

"The Adventures of an IT Leader" invites readers to "walk in the shoes" of Jim Barton, the new CIO of the fictional IVK Corporation, 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. This chapter joins Barton as he sits down with the IT department's financial guru to answer what he believes are straightforward questions about IT spending and contribution to the company's bottom line. He is surprised to discover that there are no simple answers. This chapter is excerpted from "The Adventures of an IT Leader."