In the transformation of IT at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, we throw around what is now getting to be trite IT jargon … “The CIO must be aligned to the business”.  But what does this really mean?  In English?

In English, alignment means that IT resources are optimized to meet the mission’s demand for new and existing technology. But in a Forrester IT Excellence survey of 162 senior IT executives, only 15% declared themselves to be fully aligned. So, if alignment is so important, why are only 15% of folks in this survey there?  It’s no wonder CIO stands for “Career is Over”. 

I’m beginning to think that “alignment” is essentially not so much a place to actually “be”, but rather a place to “try” to be.  With apologies to my favorite Muppet, Yoda who implores young Skywalker:

“Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”

I believe the effectiveness of an aligned CIO is in the “try”.  So, assuming that alignment is this mythological place that is approached asymptotically, how does the aligned CIO “try”?

So, as Deputy CIO at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the first thing I wanted to do was shoot a gun.  Never shot a gun before, though I wondered if it’s a skill that might come in handy for a CIO.  After I got that thrill out of the way, I decided that I would stick with organolyptic testing of fermented beverages and “try” a different way.

There are three components to the “try”: effective governance, relationships with the mission folks, and requisite leadership competencies.

Effective governance. How do you make decisions about technology? How do you allocate scarce resources? What are the priorities? What information do you need to make good decisions? Who has decision rights? These are multilateral decisions about IT that ensure IT meets mission needs.

Relationships with mission executives. Said many times being a CIO change agent is a tough gig, and no CIO should expect to win popularity contests.  An effective relationship requires understanding their pain; understanding their priorities; understanding what IT needs to do for them; and understanding the possibilities of what IT can do.

Leadership. Now, Yoda may have had good CIO advice when he encouraged Young Skywalker to use The Force. For the CIO, this Force is leadership.  This includes: strong people skills, to manage an IT workforce; communication skills – to listen and speak; courage to do the right thing; and I suppose, a light saber for technology leadership.

Thus, as the CIO of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, I must be aligned with Goddard’s mission to support NASA’s goals in understanding where we came from, where we are going, and are we alone.  I think for this agency, the answer is in the stars.

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center