article thumbnail

All Boards Need a Technology Expert

Harvard Business Review

It’s often focused on the competitive environment — used to reassure management that it is not falling behind rivals. Using Moore’s Law , zero-based budgeting would call for technology spending to fall each year by about 30%; in most companies spending goes up by at least 5% each year.

article thumbnail

Why Can't a CIO Be More Like a CFO?

Harvard Business Review

If the prospect of tackling the legacy problem is daunting, consider another finance-inspired concept: zero-based budgeting. With "Zero-Based Information Governance" tied to bottom-up accountability, we have an opportunity to look forward first and stop the bleeding. Think like a parent. Be accountable.

CIO 8
article thumbnail

Your Organization Wastes Time. Here’s How to Fix It.

Harvard Business Review

We recommend zero-based budgeting and planning to make the choices clearer. This also helps get over the dilemma that companies often face when they are making cuts: Should they eliminate the work and then reduce the budgets that allowed these costs, or should they shrink the budgets to squeeze out the unnecessary work?