For CIOs

December 2, 2010

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

by marc cecere with Sharyn Leaver and Brandy Worthington

Execution, Consistency, And Business Growth Drive Increased Demand

ExECUT I v E S U M MA Ry
What factors are changing the demand for roles in IT? To help answer this question, Forrester surveyed 140 IT decision-makers about why demand for some roles in IT is decreasing while for others its increasing. Not surprisingly, improving the execution of processes and services was reported as the most important factor increasing demand. However, a close second in importance was the need for greater consistency of processes and services. Of those factors reducing demand, by far the most influential was cost reduction. Looking into this more deeply, we found that significant increases in the demand for roles require several factors to combine. However, a decrease across many roles can be caused solely by cost reduction. DemanD for Security anD project management roleS increaSeD tHe moSt The demand for security and project management roles in 2010 increased the most with four out of 10 stating that demand would increase by more than 5% in 2010 (see Figure 1). At the next level down, demand for data management, relationship management, process design, strategy, enterprise architecture, and business analysis also increased. None of the roles we analyzed were expected to drop much in demand in 2010. cHangeS in DemanD came from preSSure to grow anD contain coStS To understand what is changing demand, we looked at six drivers that can increase demand and four that can decrease it (see Figure 2).

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Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

figure 1 Demand For Individual Roles

How will demand for the following IT roles change within your rm in 2010? (Dont know responses excluded) Decrease more than 10% Decrease 5% to 10% About the same Increase 5% to 10% 51% 51% 58% 56% 58% 57% 55% 60% 59% 62% 65% 65% 65% 66% Increase more than 10% 34% 7%

1% Security 5% 2% Project management 5% 1% Data management 5% 1% Business analysis 6% 1% Strategy and planning 5% 1% Process design 6% 3% IT research 9% 1% Business client relationship 5% 2% Enterprise architecture 6% 2% IT portfolio management 6% 1% Service management 6% 1% Financial management 6% Vendor and contract 2% 9% management 2% Asset management 8%

33% 7% 28% 6% 29% 5% 27% 6% 26% 6% 26% 5% 25% 5% 25% 5% 23% 22% 20% 19% 18% 4% 4% 4% 3% 18%

Base: 2,803 IT decision-makers (percentages may not total 100 because of rounding) Source: Forrsights Budgets And Priorities Tracker Survey, Q2 2010
56284 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

December 2, 2010

2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

figure 2 Drivers Of Increased And Decreased Demand

Drivers of increased demand Growth-oriented Improved project execution New capabilities Business growth Operationally oriented Cost reduction Increased process and service consistency Improved outsourcing management

Drivers of decreased demand Growth-oriented Cost reduction Automation/virtualization

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Operationally oriented Functions moved to the business Outsourcing

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

execution, consistency, and Business growth Drive increased Demand Across all roles, the highest percentage, more than one in four, reported that improved execution was the primary driver of increased demand (see Figure 3). Second was increased consistency in processes and services, and business growth was third. This was no surprise, as the need to improve IT process execution is at the top of most CIOs priority lists. That greater consistency of processes and services was close to execution in importance reflects the tremendous interest in developing global processes and services.1 In contrast, cost reduction and managing outsourcing had little effect on increased demand. Most IT leaders have been aggressively reducing costs over the past few years and already have the expertise in-house to continue this.2 Managing outsourcing is only of interest to those who are expanding outsourcing and currently lack the skills to do so.

December 2, 2010

2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

figure 3 Primary Drivers Of Increased And Decreased Demand Across All Roles
3-1 Increased demand across all roles What is the primary driver behind the increased demand within your rm in 2010? Improve management of outsourcing 4% Cost reduction Improve execution of 9% projects/services 26% Build new capabilities for processes/technologies 17%

Business growth 20% 3-2 Decreased demand across all roles

More consistent processes/services 22%

What is the primary driver behind the decreased demand within your rm in 2010? Other/ Move function dont know 4% to business 8% Outsource this capability 10% Cost reduction 58%

Automation/ virtualization 20%

Base: 2,803 IT decision-makers Source: Forrsights Budgets And Priorities Tracker Survey, Q2 2010
56284 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

December 2, 2010

2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

Looking at the effect of demand drivers on individual roles, increased demand for individual roles derives from a combination of drivers (see Figure 4):

Improved execution affected portfolio management and project management roles. Thirty-

six percent and 44%, respectively, reported that execution was the primary driver for increased growth in these roles. Improved execution drives the need for stronger project managers and a portfolio management function that can allocate resources effectively while killing off bad ideas quickly.

Increased consistency drove demand for service management and process design roles. One
in three reported that increasing the consistency of processes and services was the primary driver for increased demand of service management and process design roles. To build more consistent processes, you need people who understand how services are designed, sourced, and executed, as well as highly specialized people to design the processes that enable these services.

Business growth drove demand for client relationship management roles. For business

growth, client relationship management was head and shoulders above all other roles at 36%. Strategy/planning and data experts were in the second tier at approximately one in four. Supporting business growth requires people who specialize in managing the relationship with business leaders, as well as people with expertise in strategy, data, and business analysis.

December 2, 2010

2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

figure 4 Drivers For Increased Demand For Individual Roles

What is the primary driver behind the increased demand in the following roles? Cost reduction Improve management Build new capabilities for More consistent of outsourcing processes/technologies processes/services Improve execution of projects/services Business growth 3% Asset management Service management 20% 14% 26% 19% 25% 22% 23% 36% 28% 16% 17% 28% 22% 17% 14% 36% 44% 29% 27% 23% 18% 21% 26% 16% 14% 25% 19% 15% 17% 23% 15% 7% 5% 13% 31% 2% 19% 22% Data management 7% 1% 32% 15% IT research 6% 3% 14% 21% IT portfolio management 7% 3% 4% 19% 28% Security 3% 3% Business client 11% 20% 26% relationship 5% 3% 14% 17% Project management 2% 16% 32% Process design 8% 4% Strategy and planning 6% 16% 20% 4% 28% 22% Enterprise architecture 5% Vendor and contract management Financial management Business analysis 8% 19% 2% 16% 11% 3% 29% 10% 20% 19% 20% 19%

Base: 2,803 IT decision-makers (percentages may not total 100 because of rounding) Source: Forrsights Budgets And Priorities Tracker Survey, Q2 2010
56284 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

December 2, 2010

2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

Decreased Demand is Driven By cost reduction So, what is driving decreases in demand for roles in IT? The range of roles affected by cost reduction is wide. For every role we measured, at least half of the respondents stated that cost reduction was the primary reason for reduced demand. No one is safe when the budget axe is swung. In contrast, narrower drivers, such as outsourcing, automation/virtualization, and moving roles to the business had a much smaller effect on reduced demand. We also looked at the effect of these drivers on individual roles (see Figure 5):

IT research and strategy/planning were the biggest targets. Three out of four and seven out of Virtualization affected highly operational roles. Automation/virtualization has had the

10, respectively, reported that cost reduction was the primary driver behind reducing these roles.

predicted effect of demand reduction on highly operational roles including asset management, data management, and security. Asset management and data management experienced the strongest impact, though it was relatively balanced with a number of other roles affected as well.

Outsourcing had only a modest effect overall in reducing the demand. Outsourcing

has reduced demand in those functions that build or maintain systems including service management, security, and asset management.

Moving functions to the business was not a strong overall driver of reduced demand.

However, approximately one in seven stated that this driver reduced demand for either financial management or business analysis.

December 2, 2010

2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

figure 5 Drivers For Decreased Demand For Individual Roles

What is the primary driver behind the decreased demand in the following roles? (Dont know responses excluded) Cost reduction Asset management Service management Data management IT research IT portfolio management Security Business client relationship Project management Process design Strategy and planning Enterprise architecture Vendor and contract management Financial management Business analysis 55% 60% 54% 56% Base: 2,803 IT decision-makers Source: Forrsights Budgets And Priorities Tracker Survey, Q2 2010
56284 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

Automation/ virtualization

Outsource this capability 51% 57% 50%

Move function to business

27% 12% 7% 21% 13% 7% 28% 11% 7% 76% 7% 9% 65% 18% 10% 25% 5% 4%

56% 54% 61% 52%

15% 2%

20% 7% 12% 15% 12% 9% 23% 9% 11% 69% 10% 11% 7% 26% 8% 18% 8% 10% 23% 8% 13% 7% 20% 14% 7%

Differences By Size and other factors Didnt matter much When looking at other factors, such as industry, size of organization, etc., the only significant differences were between small shops and all the rest (see Figure 6). Specifically, the small firms showed less change in demand (up or down) than all others. In particularly, they were the least likely of any group to see changes at the extreme (i.e., demand increasing or decreasing by more than 10%).

December 2, 2010

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Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

figure 6 Demand For All Roles By Size Of Organization

How will demand for IT roles change within your rm in 2010? (Dont know responses excluded) Decrease more than 10% 20,000-plus 5,000 to 19,999 1,000 to 4,999 500 to 999 100 to 499 2% 8% 1% 7% 1% 6% 1% 5% 2% 6% Decrease 5% to 10% About the same Increase 5% to 10% 55% 57% 60% 59% 63% Base: 2,803 IT decision-makers Source: Forrsights Budgets And Priorities Tracker Survey, Q2 2010
56284 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

Increase more than 10% 26% 5% 25% 6% 26% 5% 28% 5% 23% 4%

W H AT I T M E A N S

BreaDtH of SkillS requireD varieS BaSeD on growtH verSuS coSt reDuction

Growth in demand for individual roles results from many drivers, whereas cost reduction by itself affects a wide range of roles. The broad impact on skills of increased demand is tied to the nature of the projects. For example, two very popular activities, legacy system re-engineering and the creation of more consistent business and IT processes, require a broad range of skills covering service management, data , security, EA, and other functions. At this time, those activities that would increase demand for a narrow set of skills are not yet widespread enough to have a significant effect. New technologies such as the iPad or new services such as cloud, when mainstream, will drive a narrower range of skills. As of today, this is not being felt, though we expect the increasing use of mobile devices and cloud services to change the mix of skills required.

December 2, 2010

2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Whats Driving Demand For Key IT Roles?

For CIOs

10

enDnoteS
1

Forresters May 2010 Global Future IT Organization Online Survey of senior IT leaders asked the question: On a scale of 1 (not at all important) to 5 (highest priority), what is your organizations level of interest in consolidating IT processes across the entire organization? The sample size was 139 senior IT leaders. How do you reduce the costs of IT? To answer this question, Forrester interviewed 21 consultancies that provide cost-reduction services. What did we find? Nearly all consultancies suggested upgrading governance and establishing foundational pieces before savings could be realized. See the October 22, 2009, Reducing The Costs Of IT Views From Consultancies report.

Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is an independent research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in business and technology. Forrester works with professionals in 19 key roles at major companies providing proprietary research, customer insight, consulting, events, and peer-to-peer executive programs. For more than 27 years, Forrester has been making IT, marketing, and technology industry leaders successful every day. For more information, visit www.forrester.com. 2010, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester, Technographics, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. To purchase reprints of this document, please email clientsupport@forrester.com. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com. 56284