Role of CIO in Business Process Outsourcing

Is there a role for the CIO in Business Process Outsourcing?

The answer is very simple and straight forward - YES. Today, though the decision to outsource / offshore Business Processes may not be taken by a CIO, but they have a significant role to play. Information Systems is the backbone of Business Process Outsourcing. By implementing the right Information Systems to automate business processes, CIO's plays a significant role here.

Business Process Outsourcing will not succeed if it is not backed by a strong Information Systems. E.g. Accounts Payable Outsourcing will become a lot more easier to manage if the organisation is on an ERP like SAP or Oracle Apps. By implementing the right software applications / products, the CIO plays a significant role by providing transparency to the business owners on the near real time performance by the Business Process Outsourcing Service Provider.

Without the contribution from CIO and his team, Business Process Outsourcing is bound to take a back stage.