CIOs cannot fund every request, control every technology decision or eliminate uncertainty. The practical response is to make trade-offs explicit: tie commitments to displaced work, service levels to funding, and technology decisions to evidence and risk. In a December 9, 2024, CIO.com feature, Mary K. Pratt gathered eight leadership realities and responses from technology and business leaders. They are reported perspectives, not proof that every CIO faces the same conditions.
1. AI ambitions can outpace investment in data foundations
Organizations may direct attention and money toward AI projects while underfunding the data work needed to support more transformative applications. Ted Schadler, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, told CIO.com that “CIOs have to accept that their current budget does not allow them to do the transformative work in data that’s necessary.”
The response is to make the dependency visible. Build a case for data investment with the CFO, then explain to the CEO, CFO and board what the proposed AI work can—and cannot—deliver without it. CIO.com also reported that 58% of enterprise technology leaders believed AI would be the most important technology area in 2025, citing an IEEE survey called “Impact of Technology in 2025 and Beyond.” That is a 2025 forecast as reported by CIO.com in 2024, not a current measure of priorities or an independently verified survey result.
2. There is not enough budget for every request
When a new project enters the portfolio, its cost is not only its price tag. It also consumes people, time and capacity that could go to other work. Marc Tanowitz, managing partner for the advisory and transformation practice at West Monroe, put it plainly: “There’s never going to be enough money to do everything the business wants.”
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Rather than reflexively refusing a request, present the choice and its consequences. If the organization proceeds, identify what will be delayed, reduced or stopped; if stakeholders reject that trade-off, discuss another way to meet the underlying need. Agreement on displaced work makes the decision a business choice rather than an invisible commitment assigned to IT.
3. IT may be blamed when it cannot deliver everything
Business stakeholders may expect more than available teams and funding can support, yet IT can still be held responsible when delivery falls short. Jenica McHugh, a managing director in Accenture’s technology strategy and advisory practice, described that tension in the CIO.com feature.
McHugh’s proposed remedy is financial transparency: connect services to their funding so stakeholders can weigh cost against value. If leaders want to reduce spending, ask which services or service levels the business is willing to relax. That turns a general demand to cut costs into a discussion about what the organization will receive for the money it chooses to spend.
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4. Change will keep arriving, often before it is fully visible
Marc Tanowitz said CIOs face extensive change without enough visibility to keep up with it all. Treating every new development as an immediate priority makes existing commitments harder to manage.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesBreak incoming change into manageable work, then use a stop-start-continue exercise to decide what fits:
- Stop: Identify work that no longer merits capacity.
- Start: Choose the new work that is important enough to displace something else.
- Continue: Protect commitments that still support business priorities.
This is a prioritization conversation, not a promise that uncertainty can be eliminated.
5. Technology outside IT will remain a governance challenge
Business teams may adopt or manage technology themselves to meet a need. Erica Hausheer, senior vice president and CIO of Teradata, said there will always be technology managed by people outside the IT organization. Trying to bring every decision under central IT control is therefore not a realistic governance strategy.
Work with the teams responsible for these deployments. Focus oversight on cases where operational or security risks are unacceptable, and calibrate the response to the risk rather than treating every unsanctioned tool as equally dangerous. That preserves room for business needs while giving serious risks attention.
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6. Software may be poorly understood or inadequately tested
Steve Wilson, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research, warned that CIOs are overseeing “a world of hastily written and largely untested software.” His warning is a perspective from the CIO.com feature, not a quantified measure of software quality across the industry.
Before relying on software—especially a system making ambitious claims about emerging AI—ask how it was developed and what evidence supports its reliability:
- Request the software’s testing history and ask what was tested.
- Ask about the software development lifecycle and the controls used during development.
- Consider independent testing when the stakes or uncertainty warrant it.
- Examine AI claims critically rather than treating novelty or a demonstration as proof of dependable performance.
Wilson also offered a comparison involving code in an early implantable defibrillator and a connected lightbulb. It is an illustrative anecdote attributed to him, not a verified industry-wide measurement, so it should not be used as a general benchmark.
7. The CIO role will push leaders beyond their comfort zones
Ted Schadler said CIOs will be asked to take on work they may not feel prepared or skilled to do. The answer is not to make every difficult decision alone or to accept risk without examining it.
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Bring in rational partners who can clarify consequences and constraints, including privacy, risk and security officers, as well as experienced external advisers when appropriate. Then judge acceptable risk against the organization’s principles and its capacity to execute. This helps distinguish a calculated decision from one made without the right expertise or support.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.8. Collaboration across the organization remains difficult
Kellie Romack, chief digital information officer at ServiceNow, said, “There are still too many people working in silos.” When teams plan and fund work separately, major initiatives can lose alignment or go off course.
CIOs can act as connectors by learning what different business units are planning and involving relevant stakeholders early. Earlier conversations can surface dependencies, competing priorities and risks while there is still time to adjust scope or sequencing.
How to apply these realities to a decision
The eight points converge on four practical questions. They are organizing questions drawn from the recommendations in the CIO.com feature, not quantitative benchmarks:
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match- Business value and displaced work: What outcome does the request serve, and what existing work will move or stop to make room?
- Service levels and funding: Which services are funded at the requested level, and what can the business accept if budgets fall?
- Technology risk and oversight: What could go wrong with a deployment, and what level of review is proportionate to that risk?
- Adoption speed and evidence: What testing, development practices and organizational readiness support moving ahead?
These questions do not remove constrained budgets, limited visibility or competing expectations. They help make the consequences discussable before an IT commitment becomes an unspoken promise.
Read Mary K. Pratt’s CIO.com feature, “8 hard truths CIOs must learn to accept” (December 9, 2024).
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