Building Better Client Relationships, One Department at a Time

As vCIOs, our focus is often on the bigger picture—developing IT roadmaps that align with the goals of the entire organization. While this is essential, sometimes the most significant impact comes from zooming in on individual departments, especially those that heavily rely on IT to be effective.

By conducting a strategic alignment session with a specific department, you can take your relationship with the client to another level. 

When to have a Department-Level Strategic Alignment Session

• For larger clients: When individual departments operate almost like mini-businesses within the organization, their unique needs and goals can get lost in company-wide discussions.

• When a department is facing challenges: If a particular department is experiencing recurring IT issues or dissatisfaction, this session provides a forum to address their concerns head-on.

How to conduct these sessions

1. Follow the same methodology as with executives
   Approach this session as you would a strategic alignment session with the executive team, but adjust the focus to the department’s unique context.
   • Check out our blog post about Strategic Alignment Sessions
   • Ask questions and listen: The key to success is listening. Aim to do less than 5% of the talking. Let the department’s team members share their challenges, goals, and insights.
   • Build trust: Position yourself as a partner who is there to understand and help, not to judge or dictate
2. Tailor your questions
   While the methodology remains the same, the questions you ask should be tailored to the department’s role and function. Here are areas to explore:
   • Goals and metrics: What are their primary objectives, and how do they measure success?
   • Data and insights: What information or reports do they rely on to make decisions? Are there gaps or inefficiencies in accessing this data?
   • Pain points: What recurring IT challenges or frustrations slow them down?
   • Collaboration: How do they collaborate with other departments? Are there tools or processes that could improve this?
   • Opportunities for improvement: What IT solutions or services could help them achieve their goals more effectively?
   • Download our cheatsheet
3. Focus on continuous improvement
   Use this session to uncover opportunities to enhance your services and better align them with the department’s needs. This could include:
   • Optimizing tools or systems they use daily.
   • Providing additional training to maximize technology adoption.
   • Addressing any recurring support issues or bottlenecks.
   • Offering new solutions, like automation, to improve productivity.

Getting started!

To help you prepare for these sessions, we’ve created a Department Strategic Alignment Session Cheatsheet with tailored questions. Download it today!