The interim Chief Digital Officer (CDO)

More than just a future trend, digital transformation has become an urgent necessity to ensure competitiveness. The implementation of critical tools such as an ERP or a CRM, as well as the re-engineering of internal processes, now requires strategic leadership that many organisations are unable to provide.

What are the most common mistakes in technology project management?

Companies often tackle digitalisation projects by making fundamental mistakes in resource allocation and leadership. Miguel García Alonso, a partner at EPUNTO Interim Management, points out that “when an SME or a large company wants to implement a digital transformation project, it is usually assigned to the IT director, who is often already overburdened by their day-to-day tasks”. This operational overload prevents the in-house manager from devoting the time and attention required by such a profound change.

Faced with this lack of internal capacity, many organisations opt to outsource the implementation entirely. However, García Alonso warns that, on occasions, assigning these processes to an external firm “can be an even worse option if that organisation is not subject to internal oversight, as it may result in a project that is ill-suited to the company and very costly”. The lack of a counterpart with strategic vision and independence leads to a disconnect between the company’s objectives and the supplier’s developments.

The interim Chief Digital Officer (CDO): the strategic alternative

To resolve this conflict, the role of the interim CDO (Chief Digital Officer) emerges as the ideal alternative. This is neither a traditional consultant nor a permanent executive, but rather a senior management professional who is brought in on a temporary basis to lead the change process exclusively.

The main advantages of adopting this project management model are:

• Proven and specific expertise: The interim CDO is a senior professional who has already successfully led identical digital transformation processes in organisations with similar characteristics and operating in similar sectors. Their learning curve is virtually non-existent.
• Absolute focus on objectives: As they are not part of the organisation’s permanent structure, they are completely free from having to deal with day-to-day operational ‘fires’. This allows them to concentrate 100 per cent of their effort and energy on the specific goals assigned to the project.
• Total objectivity and independence: Their role is free from the company’s internal dynamics and politics. As they do not aim to build a long-term career within the organisation, the interim CDO acts with absolute neutrality and technical judgement. This ensures that they will not make ‘Solomonic’ decisions or political compromises, always prioritising the real benefit to the business.
• Fixed and cost-effective pricing: This executive service represents a fixed and predictable financial cost. Once the technology project has been successfully rolled out and consolidated, the engagement ends and the cost is removed from the company’s structure.
• Effective knowledge transfer: Their remit does not end with the technical handover of the software or process, but with the training of the in-house team. The interim CDO ensures a smooth transition and a rigorous handover of skills to the departments that will take on the day-to-day monitoring and management of the new digital ecosystem.

Digital transformation: a matter of change management and leadership

Transformation in the digital age is a matter of change management and leadership; therefore, bringing in a Chief Digital Officer as an interim executive enables companies to steer their strategic projects with the utmost confidence, optimising investment and ensuring a tangible return in terms of the company’s efficiency.

At EPUNTO Interim Management, we support SMEs and large corporations in bringing in the temporary executive talent needed to guide their technology projects with full guarantees of effectiveness, transforming the challenges of digitalisation into real and measurable competitive advantages for their business.