When deciding which initiatives to pursue, an IT leader is often caught between a rock and a hard place, forced to act as a mediator between competing interests. Prioritization is no easy task and requires the involvement of many organizational leaders, especially those from IT. However, the number of initiatives in discussion needs to be constrained to maximize the group's efficiency.
Don't Be Perceived as Someone's Crony
"Bridge-to-nowhere" projects are usually politically motivated and they destroy credibility and consume resources that can be better spent elsewhere. If IT is involved in a project where clear metrics aren't shown (i.e. who will benefit and by how much), other business units will perceive the project as "cronyism" and question its validity. IT does not need these additional headaches.