IT departments today face broad challenges that require them to drive business results that go far beyond traditional functions. According to the annual Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey for 2018, more boards are asking their technical teams to focus on improving business processes than they were a year ago.

This focus on driving overarching improvements is seen across sectors. In the leisure industry, CIOs reported that the top IT priority for 2018 is "enhancing customer experience," while within the technology sector, IT teams are being tasked with "developing innovative new products and services."