A small enterprise has just hired its first CIO, who has been tasked with making the IT department more efficient. What should be the CIO's NEXT step after identifying several new improvement initiati

Mandating IT staff training, while potentially beneficial, is an action that should follow a cost-benefit analysis to ensure the training aligns with the most impactful and justified improvement initiatives.

Requesting an IT balanced scorecard is a good tool for overall performance measurement and strategic alignment, but it typically comes after initiatives have been selected and are underway, or as part of a broader strategic review before specific initiatives are chosen.

To make the IT department more efficient and ensure resources are allocated wisely, a CIO must evaluate identified improvement initiatives through a cost-benefit analysis. This step provides a rational basis for prioritizing initiatives by comparing the potential financial and operational benefits against their implementation costs, ensuring investments deliver the most value for the organization.

Allocating funding for initiatives without first conducting a cost-benefit analysis risks misallocating resources to initiatives that may not yield the greatest efficiency gains or return on investment.