Overview
This course explores the role of IT leadership—especially that provided by the CIO. What are the issues, activities, and responsibilities facing IT leaders in delivering value to organizations through information technology? Course topics include the following:
- the CIO role
- understanding and measuring IT value
- setting IT budgets
- developing IT roadmaps and managing innovation
- managing perceptions of IT
- implementing IT controls
- managing vendors
- managing employees in the IT organization
This course is particularly important for students interested in careers in information technology. However, IT is a service on which all business units depend, so understanding its management is helpful for all students who intend to work in organizations.
Outline
Students of CMIS 431 study the following units:
- Lesson 1: The CIO and IT Leadership
- Lesson 2: IT Mission and Managing its Costs
- Lesson 3: The Value of IT
- Lesson 4: Planning the Future State of IT
- Lesson 5: IT Governance
- Lesson 6: Managing IT Risk
- Lesson 7: Building Strong IT-Business Relationships
- Lesson 8: Leading Technology-Enabled Innovation
- Lesson 9: Vendor Partnering
- Lesson 10: Managing Talent
Learning outcomes
When you have successfully completed the course, you will be able to:
· explain the CIO position in terms of roles, responsibilities, and challenges.
· design an IT budgeting process.
· explain the dimensions of IT value and identify best practices in achieving IT value.
· develop IT metrics and an IT metric process to establish IT value.
· develop a technology roadmap process and explain its main elements.
· explain the advantages and disadvantages of infrastructure standardization and the paths to infrastructure standardization.
· explain IT governance and its application to the IT organization.
· explain the IT implications of Sarbanes-Oxley and Bill 198 and their implications for IT control.
· describe COBIT and its main elements.
· explain the importance of a business continuity plan and identify its main elements.
· apply the Information Security Governance Framework to assess a firm’s security management.
· explain the use of stakeholder analysis and the IT hierarchy of needs to manage stakeholder perceptions of IT.
· explain technology-enabled innovation and the CIO’s role in it.
· discuss different methods of delivering IT and methods of managing these.
· discuss the main issues in managing the IT organization.
Evaluation
To receive credit for CMIS 431, you must achieve a minimum grade of 50 percent on the Final Examination, and an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. The weighting of each assessment activity is indicated in the chart below.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Leadership Journal | 20% |
| Assignment 2: Case Analysis | 15% |
| Assignment 3: Innovation Presentation | 15% |
| Participation in Graded Forums | 10% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Austin, R. D., Nolan, R. L., & O’Donnell, S. (2016). The adventures of an IT leader (updated ed.). Harvard Business School Publishing. ISBN 978-1-63369-166-7
High, P. A. (2014). Implementing world class IT strategy: How IT can drive organizational innovation. Jossey-Bass. ISBN 978-1-118-63411-0
Other Materials
Students will access all other course materials online.
Other Information
Students will present Assignment 3 to their Academic Expert using PowerPoint (or similar software) in a synchronous teleconference with their Academic Expert.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the CMIS 431 challenge registration, you must complete one written assignment, write a challenge examination, and achieve a composite course grade of at least D (50 percent).
| Activity | Weight |
| Written assignment | 60% |
| Online Exam (3 Hours) | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form