Distribute a List of

At too many companies, technology managers aren't on the same wavelength with the top business executives. Here are 10 ideas for improving that dynamic.

7. Distribute a List of Ongoing Projects—To the Business as Well as I.T.
Do you have it in writing? A regularly updated list of the projects you've got going can do a lot to keep you coordinated with your peers on the business side. Progressive Medical CIO Mazzocco maintains such a record in Excel; its multiple worksheets and entries contain information about projects, tasks, release dates and the dollars Mazzocco has spent.

The document is useful for keeping Mazzocco himself on track, but perhaps its biggest benefit is how Mazzocco uses it with his CEO. The two men, along with several other top executives, discuss an updated version of the project road map twice a month.

"If I can walk around with a list that's been blessed by the CEO and key executives, that's half the battle," Mazzocco says.

Next Best Practice: Network (in a Non-Technical Way)