Letter: Successful IT leader depends on a number of factors

Regarding "Op-ed:Tech czar is maybe good, maybe bad"

Frank [McDonough],

You bring up many compelling points. However, the real success of any information technology leader is dependent on several critical success factors:

• Is he empowered with the authority to make change. If not, he will be ignored much like the Office of Management and Budget is today.
• Are the supporting processes useful or effective. Insanity is continuing the same process and expecting different results. Thankfully, the czar will have the Clinger Cohen Act that mandates the use of commercial best practices. The OMB-FEA-PMO reference models are a good start for governance, but they have yet to be operationalized.
• A leader is only as good as the people working for him, and the communities of practice he is engaging. If the Chief Information Officers Council committees are weak for instance, then he will not get much done.
• Are there a set of outcomes that can be defined, measured and supported by policy.
• Does he/she have an understanding of the root cause of problems.
• New think…You can't solve problems with the same kind of thinking that got you there in the first place.