“In the macro-view, the Indian economy is under a slowdown. Besides that the technology heads are also facing immense pressure because of the changing technology,” Atul Govil, Chief Transformation Officer & Head (SAP & IT), India Glycols
Referring to the latest newspaper headlines that expose the ‘stagflation’ of the Indian economy from being the world’s fastest growing economy, Atul Govil deliberates on the how one way to look at the current economic slowdown in India is by acknowledging the practical challenges faced by the CIOs in pitching technology projects to the CFO of their organizations.
Digitalization in Manufacturing Organizations: Practical Challenges Faced
Highlighting issues like high capital expenditure involved, management buy-in, and rigorous push to keep tech budgets flat or reduce each year. Atul Govil believes that CIOs and technology leaders tend to speak in a language which is practically gibberish to a CFO. And hence, the CFO is not able to relate to the technological advancements that the CIOs are bringing to the table. “CIOs should think through the language in which they are projecting their ideas and projects to the CFO. Proposing a PoC is the most damaging thing a CIO can do for his/her cause. This is because technically when we speak of a Proof of Concept, by its very definition, it means that it is not yet real. It is so futuristic that it defeats the very purpose of taking up technology. So, rather than doing a PoC, we should think through doing a Pilot. A pilot is a far more focused activity that a CIO should think through,” suggests Atul Govil.