The CIO's guide to keeping IT teams accountable

While it is crucial to leadership, holding people accountable isn't always simple. Take these suggestions into account to keep teams and projects on schedule.

Many of the most crucial and occasionally most difficult facets of a leader's job are holding individuals accountable. How well CIOs keep their IT employees accountable often determines the outcome of a project meant to advance a company. That might be challenging. Tech professionals are in high demand, and they may also be picky. According to a recent Gartner survey, only 29% of IT employees worldwide are highly motivated to stick with their current organization.

IT professionals are quitting their jobs, like many other workers during The Great Resignation, for various reasons, ranging from a lack of workplace flexibility to an incompatibility with their supervisor. Accountability, however, is a requirement for all successful businesses. CIOs charged with this crucial responsibility need to make the most of their bright employees without alienating them to accomplish projects on time and under budget. This calls for excellent communication, considerate management, and careful interaction with important team members.

How to hold IT teams accountable?

We have three tried-and-true suggestions for you to keep IT teams accountable:

Stay on guard

A leader's responsibility is to maintain composure in the face of sporadic clouds and thunderstorms while seeing the situation from 30,000 feet. By doing it properly, you can take advantage of the talent on your team and produce outcomes.

Even the finest plans encounter roadblocks. A developer can create anything, but it could not be finished on time or adhere to the specifications because, for example, he didn't completely comprehend the business or practical uses. If you change your direction, he'll make the required adjustments, but anything that was once crucial might get damaged.

No undertaking or journey can be completely predicted. Since so much is at stake, it is essential to communicate precisely and consistently. The process of managing a project is not linear and systematic. It's more like leading from a turret; you must keep an eye out for any problems and identify areas where your team might be under attack, either internally or externally.

Keep an ear to the ground

It takes bravery for the leader to create the roadmap, be receptive to team ideas, and believe in outside knowledge. Creating and sharing a sense of accountability for the project path is one of the goals of checking in. A crucial source of information about the effectiveness of the team and potential support requirements can be found by regularly checking in.

Think about the importance of checking in before a deadline, for instance. Consider pushing that deadline a little if, for instance, your engineers estimate that it will take them at least three days to complete a crucial piece of work. In this way, you've both admitted that three days might not be adequate, and you've also gotten closer to the deadline to evaluate your progress.

Checkpoints are useful benchmarks for gauging development. Some teams work on projects for years without making progress toward their objective. This isn't just a simple dysfunctional situation.

Collective vision

Utilizing a person's skills inspires them to do more than what they believe they are capable of. You're in a great position to inspire your team members to push themselves if they're already invested in the project and dedicated to realizing its objectives.

But don't let them push you past your breaking point. Instead of skeptics who try to add their personal requirements or corporate interests to the job, you need team members aligned with your vision.

People that can adjust to changes and comprehend the big picture are what you seek. Team members must be aware that occasionally pushing themselves to the limit is necessary to complete the necessary work. In such a situation, accountability looks after itself.