I enjoyed reading Kaihan Krippendorff's CIOs' Rising Influence (October 2005). My IT department is in the final phase of a three-year plan. I spent the first year fixing what was broken. In year 2, I created a new image for IT in the eyes of the business. This year, I'll align IT with business goals and direction. My task is to get a seat at the table where strategies are formulated and decisions are made.

In the past, IT was brought into projects way too late. Now, we'll be adding so much more than just technical value.

John DiFelice
Director of IT, National Constitution Center
Philadelphia