As technology leaders, we’ve all been there. The budget meeting where every line item is scrutinized, and where leadership asks the dreaded question: “What exactly are we getting for all this IT spend?” This view of IT as a necessary evil, a mere cost center, is a common challenge, but it’s a perception we can AND must change.

After years of leading technology initiatives across global operations, I’ve learned that shifting this perception isn’t just about what we do; it’s about how we position ourselves as strategic business partners. Our role is to translate business strategies into technology solutions that drive operational excellence and competitive advantage. The goal is to move beyond “keeping the lights on” and become an essential partner in creating business value.

IT as a Value Creator: Real Examples That Matter

The value of IT isn’t always immediately obvious, so we must be proactive in demonstrating it with concrete examples. Throughout my career, I’ve seen IT directly contribute to the bottom line by improving efficiency, enabling competitive advantages, and enhancing the employee experience.

Operational Excellence and Efficiency at Scale When I led the Workforce Management platform modernization at Starbucks, transitioning from Kronos to Blue Yonder for 250,000 users across 10,000 locations, it was more than just deploying new software. This was a strategic move to modernize the platform, enable mobile access, and optimize labor scheduling at scale. We deployed the solution to all retail locations in just 4 months—demonstrating that large-scale transformations can deliver immediate business value when properly executed.

Enhancing Employee Experience for Business Advantage At Starbucks, I implemented Attensi as a learning management system for 8,000 licensed stores, creating a new capability utilizing gamified learning. By digitizing learning content and incorporating game-based elements, we reduced learning labor hours by 60% while improving engagement. When you can demonstrate that technology directly reduces operational costs while improving outcomes, IT’s value becomes undeniable.

Communicating IT’s Value Proposition

One of the most important lessons from managing large cross-functional teams is to stop talking about technology and start speaking the language of business. Executives and stakeholders care about revenue, margin, customer satisfaction, and market share, not technical jargon. We must align technology investments with strategic business objectives.

Here’s how I’ve learned to reframe IT initiatives:

  • Instead of: “We need to migrate our ERP system to the cloud”
  • Try: “This S4 HANA Cloud migration will modernize our infrastructure, ensure business continuity, and avoid potential system failures that could cost us millions in downtime”
  • Instead of: “We need to consolidate our HR systems”
  • Try: “This SuccessFactors implementation will create a scalable platform for 300,000 users globally, enabling data-driven workforce decisions and positioning us for future growth”

The key is connecting every technical decision to measurable business outcomes that leadership cares about.

Measuring and Reporting on ROI

To successfully advocate for IT, you must quantify impact. I’ve consistently tracked ROI across technology investments, focusing on three key areas:

Direct Cost Savings: A Single Sign-On implementation I led resulted in $665K per year in cost reduction, plus significant capital expense avoidance. These weren’t theoretical benefits—they were measurable impacts to the bottom line.

Operational Excellence: I developed a comprehensive employee learning records strategy that eliminated manual reconciliation and provided a single source of truth for learning analytics, freeing up countless hours of manual work.

Risk Mitigation: Proactive infrastructure modernization, like migrating from legacy systems to cloud platforms, helps avoid costly downtime and positions the business for future growth.

From Reactive Service Provider to Proactive Partner

The ultimate shift in perception occurs when IT stops waiting for requests and starts bringing solutions to business challenges. At Starbucks, I led the implementation of retail operations excellence tools through custom Azure-based solutions. This wasn’t fulfilling a request—it was identifying a business pain point and architecting a solution that directly enabled in-store process automation, freeing employees to focus on customers instead of administrative tasks.

This type of proactive approach transforms how business leaders view IT. We become strategic partners with a proven track record of delivering value.

The Path Forward is Clear

The transformation from cost center to value creator isn’t theoretical—it’s achievable through strategic thinking, measurable outcomes, and proactive partnership.

Be a strategic partner who speaks the language of business. Quantify your impact with concrete metrics. Proactively solve problems before they become critical issues. When you do this consistently, IT will no longer be viewed as a cost center but as an essential value creator that drives competitive advantage and business growth.