Remain Strategic in the Face of Change

Strategic Questions for Information Professionals

Information professionals today need to take a strategic approach by getting involved in their organization’s AI initiatives. This means proactively “inserting themselves” into developing the business case, defining the benefits, identifying the risks, planning for organizational change, etc. by asking questions:

• Strategic alignment: Does the technology investments align with your strategic goals and objectives?
• ROI assessment: For every dollar spent on technology, what's the expected return?
• Risk evaluation: Have you thoroughly assessed operational, financial, reputational, compliance, and other key risks?
• Implementation planning: Have you considered the people, processes, and policies needed to support the technology?

These fundamental business questions haven't changed, despite the rapid evolution of technology. What has changed is the risk landscape with an increased emphasis on data privacy, information governance, information management, data governance, etc.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

As information practitioners navigate the evolving AI landscape, maintaining your strategic focus is essential. While AI may be today’s “shiny new object,” the fundamentals remain unchanged: align technology investments with business strategy, and support both with sound decision-making.

In other words, don’t fall for the “shiny new object” syndrome. Instead, follow your organization’s established process for evaluating new technology initiatives — carefully weighing both benefits and risks of the use cases, while ensuring robust information governance and data governance are in place.