Telecom & Technology Consulting
With the holiday season around the corner, all of us our making plans for the upcoming months. Parties, travel, PTO, where to board the pets during vacation, lists of gifts to buy. And while you’re figuring out what sweater to wear for the annual company gathering, start thinking about how to capitalize on current businesses momentum for 2027. It’s never too early.
Most of the CIOs we partner with had similar goals this year. No surprise that further implementation of AI was at the top of their list. They also wanted to use technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency for every department. Another key objective: to develop initiatives that would better align with – and further foster – the organization’s strategic vision. We imagine your enterprise can relate to these ambitions.
Leverage your 2026 success by following through on the assurances you gave to frontline workers. Do what you promised. That may feel trite, but that subjective message can significantly affect objective results. Workers may not recall everything you say, but they do remember failed promises.
This is especially the case regarding bonuses and performance reviews for completing planned projects. The problem is, you must actually finish those projects. Responsibility for doing so falls on the tech leader’s shoulders, so be sure to wrap up everything. Otherwise, you might begin 2027 with resentful workers who feel jilted out of anticipated financial rewards.
You don’t need a reminder that the final three months of the year tends to be the busiest time. Add in the fact that people are vacationing, which leaves less staff to perform more work. Here, it’s important to show other leaders that you can maintain a smooth operation even during peak demand. Make sure everyone is trained and prepared to handle load, as well be able to adjust to contingencies. If disaster occurs, there will be financial, morale, and reputational consequences to deal with in the coming year.
The final quarter also provides an opportunity to have critical conversations with others in the C-suite about the status of 2026 goals, as well as potential objectives for 2027. What did you achieve? How could have you delivered more impact? What lessons can be applied to future initiatives? With open, honest, and respectful dialogue, you’re better prepared to align IT with overall enterprise goals. Besides, these conversations inherently strengthen relationships, which can only improve performance as time goes on.
No forecast for the next year is complete without major thinking about AI. It’s not enough to simply consider what – or how much – AI capabilities to deploy. You must assess how AI can provide more organizational value. In that frame, think of how to transition from the AI experimentation phase to the business value phase. Use the remaining months to lay the IT foundation so that transition can become a reality. Identify how to fix flaws in the AI operation, locate partners that can bring innovation and expertise, and offer enhanced AI training in order to bolster competency for the coming 12 months.
Creating a 2027 budget is a no-brainer. However, in order to ride the momentum you already have, the budget should be built to accommodate future-proof potential. Keep in mind that, according to Gartner, 2027 IT budgets will increase by approximately 3.7%, yet the research firm also states that, due to inflation, the increase will be insignificant for the majority of CIOs.
Put in the hard work and draft multiple iterations of your 2027 budget so you can get buy-in from the CEO, the board, and your executive colleagues. This will allow you to fully fund all of IT’s hard costs, and ideally have the dollars for what you expect (hope for) you’ll need for further innovation.
There will always be unforeseen shifts in the market, the economy, and the tech landscape. But with the right preparation, you’ll not only be able to weather the storm, you’ll be equipped to thrive.
