Process optimization is being neglected Overall, IT leaders appear to have a more forward-thinking and proactive approach to process optimization than peers in other functions. Almost half (46%) of the business leaders in the cross-functional survey say they don’t think about process performance until something goes wrong. But this 昀椀gure drops to 36% for IT leaders (and falls even further to 27% for IT leaders in the US). Process optimization is a relatively broad concept that means different things to different people. For this research, we de昀椀ne it as: “Pinpointing a business-critical process that needs improvement, identifying the root cause of the problem, and then taking effective, sustainable action to optimize that process to drive a high-performance outcome.” Having established this de昀椀nition, we asked IT leaders about the last time their department optimized a process. The results reveal IT leaders are process optimization 昀椀rst-movers when compared with other functions. As an example, 36% say they have optimized a process within the last six months compared with just 20% of 昀椀nance leaders. However, process optimization is still being widely neglected. Despite IT leaders’ emerging role as process pioneers, only 15% say they optimize processes on a continuous basis. Almost half (42%) haven’t optimized a process in the last year. Process optimization frequency Optimize processes 62% on a continuous basis Haven’t optimized a process in the last year All functions: 51% 54% 48% 42% 18% 15% 15% All functions: 14% 8% Finance / Supply Process / IT / Shared services chain Operations Digital The Process Era is Here: IT Edition 10