What Exactly is a CTO or Chief Technology Officer, and What do They Actually Do?
A Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is a C-level, executive position associated with directing, managing and leading all external, product or services-based, technology innovations in order to better the company’s top line (revenue). Also known as a Chief Technical Officer, with the rise of Information Technology and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) position, the CTO became a novel role that was required to strategically plan customer-centric technological products and services. It is important to note that a Chief Technology Officer may operate in both computer-related fields and non-computer industries, such as military organizations, health/bioengineering firms, social and humanitarian organizations, etc. That said, as the head of technology in an organization, the CTO is typically responsible for overseeing entire technology departments, collaborating with – or reporting to – the CIO, working with the Chief Innovation Officer (CINO), leading the Research & Development (R&D) department or managing the director of R&D, etc.
As a C-level strategic officer, the Chief Technology Officer operates as a chief technologist and also plays an important role in determining the direction that an enterprise will take in planning future models, workflows, technologies and innovations that will help the enterprise meet its goals. Such strategies are based on an in-depth knowledge of technology, the market, engineering, and corporate finances. Regarding the latter, the CTO also works closely with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to plan and implement budgets and financial policies for products/services that will help to better the company’s bottom line.
First and Foremost the CTO Role is One of Leadership
The Chief Technology Officer is one of the highest positions of any enterprise, in comprising one of the titles associated with the C-suite of executives. This suite usually includes the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Chief Data Officer and Chief Digital Officer (CDO), etc., all of which entail positions of leadership. Leadership typically includes setting long-term goals and strategizing future plans based on current data, trends and markets. It also includes understanding how to innovate, implement strategic differentiators, and how to look beyond the short term goals of increasing the top line (revenue) to also focus on bettering the enterprise’s bottom line (net profits).
This Requires More Than Just Management, it Requires Leadership
As a top-level, C-suite executive manager, CTOs manage operations, oversee project managers, and determine what needs to be done and how it is to be done. In addition to this, as previously mentioned, directors of engineering and of R&D often report to CTOs, such that a Chief Technology Officer is a C-level manager. However, while management often focuses on minimizing risks, delegating tasks, and focusing on fulfilling short-term goals that directly affect the bottom-line of an organization, C-level, executive positions focus on leadership as well. Thus, an efficient Chief Technology Officer should engage in hands-on leadership that will help to direct an enterprise and help to build, craft and implement novel business strategies that can help a company grow in the future. Essentially, while management is more closely related to day-to-day operations and workflows, leadership is associated with long-term growth and future innovation via strategic planning and novel ideas.
What is the Standard Chief Technology Officer Job Description?
As C-level technologists, Chief Technology Officers often come from a Computer Science background, and must have in-depth knowledge of engineering, information systems, and information technology. Additionally, CTOs are strategists, leaders, and business managers, and thus require a great deal of knowledge associated with finance, various industries/markets, project management, and business management. To this end, prospective CTOs often have significant knowledge and experience associated with Business/Management, and often have a Master of Business Administration (MBA), or Master of Management degree.
A typical job description associated with a CTO would include several common factors:
- Management of engineers, techs and lower-level departmental managers/directors. Also includes managing projects, programs, and product-design and development.
- Leadership of R&D and Engineering Departments, including the ability to innovate and craft novel approaches for solving common problems.
- Strategic planning of technology policies and future technology plans.
- Creation and development of novel technological systems associated with products and services.
- Strategic planning and implementation of which technologies and IT systems to utilize to better the efficacy of products and/or services.
Essentially, the role of a CTO is one of management, leadership, and strategic planning, all with a focus on technology and customer products/services.
What Are the CTO Responsibilities?
When specifying the responsibilities of a CTO, it is important to note that there is often a slight difference in job tasks associated with a CTO in a non-technology enterprise versus the job tasks of a CTO in a technology-based enterprise. For instance, in a non-technology enterprise, the CTO often reports to the CIO, while in a technology-based enterprise, those two C-level positions are often on the same level, with the CIO focused inwardly on internal processes and the CTO focused externally on technology associated with products/services.
The CTO is responsible for several key elements of an organization’s technology that are associated with the products, services, and goals of an enterprise in meeting the customer’s needs. This includes planning the use of specific technologies and systems that directly correlate to increasing the efficacy of enterprise products/services, all of which is tied to the strategizing of which technologies to develop as unique IPs/products. In addition to managing the different technology departments of an organization (associated with products/services or enterprise goals), the CTO may also be responsible for managing the overarching network of IT systems of an organization, which ultimately affects the quality of products that will be deployed to end-users.
CTOs are also tasked with making strategic decisions on which technologies to use for better equipping the enterprise with the best, most novel and advanced products. This can include determining which sensors to use when upgrading products to include Internet of Things (IoT) sensors/actuators, or determining which computer chips to include in a smart-gadget, etc. When it comes to employing strategic differentiators and deploying products for software systems, CTOs may also determine which unique mechanisms and platforms are most effective. Chief Technology Officers may also work with the CIO to ensure that engineers and tech staff are working correctly and efficiently on delegated tasks, yet while CTOs manage tech staff associated with the development of products/services, CIOs manage staff associated with the efficient running of internal IT systems.
As C-level, enterprise officers who focus on products and services, CTOs also must understand regulatory legislations (for product/service compliance), insurance issues, legalities associated with Intellectual Property (IP), etc. With such understanding, CTOs work with other C-level executives to plan the appropriate deployment of products after ensuring that they comply with pertinent legislations and are correctly insured (if necessary).
Does Every Company Need a CTO, or Can Other Roles Also Fulfill The Function?
The role of the CTO executive is greatly connected to the role(s) of other C-level executives and IT leaders, specifically the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Chief Digital Officer (CDO), and the VP of Engineering. Yet while the different tasks associated with the respective IT leaders often overlap, there are some key differences that can help to illustrate why a CTO is generally a necessity in any company that greatly utilizes technology in its products or services.
The Difference Between a CTO and the VP of Engineering
While the CTO and VP of Engineering appear to be very similar roles, it is important to note that, while they do share some similarities, they do have some key differences. While the VP of Engineering collaborates with the CTO in order to strategize the use of technological innovations that will increase the top-line of the enterprise, the VP of engineering operates more as a project manager and overseer of technical staff, while the CTO operates as a C-suite strategic leader. The CTO can be thought of as the top technical leader in an organization responsible for long-term technology strategy development and advanced product prototyping, research, development, and production. The VP of engineering, on the other hand, helps to supervise teams during product development and manages the execution of the technology strategy that is crafted by the CTO. Another significant responsibility of a CTO is the partaking of research associated with patents for new corporate technologies, and additionally, engaging with the public/media in helping to build the brand of the enterprise.
The Difference Between a CTO and a CIO
The CTO and CIO roles, at first glance, are very similar. Yet, while a CTO focuses on managing and leading the use of technology associated with an enterprise’s products and services, a CIO focuses on managing and leading the use of IT systems to optimize the efficacy of internal corporate workflows. Both roles are C-level heads of technology and IT respectively, and both focus on strategizing and planning the use of IT systems in order to help determine what direction the enterprise will take. However, the CIO is internally facing and focuses on using technology to increase workflow efficiency and minimize overhead. Thus, CIOs focus more on using technology for the long-term goal of increasing the enterprise’s bottom line (net profits). Contrasting this, a CTO is customer-facing and focuses more on the use of technology with relation to the products and services that the customers will ultimately use. Thus, CTOs focus more on using technology for the goal of increasing the enterprise’s top line (revenue).
The Difference Between a CTO and a CDO
The Chief Digital Officer is a C-level executive that helps to train, equip, and manage technology staff by providing, developing and strategizing digital tools and systems for corporate use. CDOs also help to strategize the use of novel technologies in order for an enterprise to remain innovative. The CDO role can be thought of as an overlapping position with regard to the CIO and CTO roles. Specifically, the CDO’s role to innovate over the long term helps to digitally transform all aspects of the enterprise, while the management of digital tools and assets can directly help to assist a CTO with his/her task of managing technology, in order to better the enterprise’s customer facing technology products and services. That said, a CTO focuses on technology management and strategy while a CDO focuses on setting up and managing corporate digital assets that allow an enterprise to function in the modern digital age of IT.
The CTO Tends to Have a More Outward Focus than a CIO
CTOs focus more on the use of technology for bettering the products and services of a company, while CIOs focus on the use of technology for bettering the company’s processes, operations and workflows. A typical example is the fact that CIOs often manage the use of CRMs, ERPs, Data analysis software suites, security packages, cloud servers, etc. while CTOs often manage the use of technology and engineering mechanisms, frameworks and platforms associated with products that customers will use.
The Principal Role of the CTO is to Ensure that The Company’s Technology Strategy Aligns With the Overall Business Strategy
In modern day corporate ecosystems, technology is intrinsically connected to business products, business models, business services, and future business strategies/innovations. CTOs work with the knowledge that technology shouldn’t just be a cost-center, but – as an expansion of an existing business – should be a revenue generator. However, adding to that, technology is an extension of the human components and processes that make a business run. Thus a CTO works to ensure that technology in an enterprise is usable to feasibly increase the enterprise’s top line in relation to its products and services.
The most significant contribution that a CTO makes to an organization is understanding how to strategize the use of technology to better the enterprise’s top line. CTOs operate by aligning the overall business goals, business model, business strategies, and business products/services with the appropriate technology that will allow an organization to ultimately meet the end-user’s needs. While it is more often the case that the CIO crafts the overall business technology strategy (to better the enterprise’s bottom line), the CTO ensures that the strategy is optimally incorporated with the business’s technology to meet the enterprise’s goals in relation to its products/services (and thus bettering the enterprise’s top line).
Summary
A Chief Technology Officer is a core member of any corporation. As a C-suite executive, a CTO is tasked with efficiently carrying out several significant endeavors that assist other C-level executives and ultimately aid an enterprise with increasing its top line. A CTO is responsible for managing the technology associated with products/services, managing tech staff, overseeing projects and programs, directing engineers and Engineering departmental directors, leading R&D, and strategizing the efficient use of technology to ensure that the enterprise’s technology plan aligns with the overall goal(s) of the organization. A CTO is a necessary component of any business and can help to greatly increase its top line.
