Technology Blueprints & Strategy with Gary Crisci

Why Your Boss Doesn’t Seem Impressed: Stop Confusing Hard Work with Value The Director of Infrastructure walks into the quarterly review, energized. He’s about to share six months of effort: a large-scale patching initiative that tackled hundreds of vulnerable, outdated servers. His team worked nights, juggled risks, and brought their infrastructure into compliance. He lays it all out in detail. The CIO nods. “Good work.” Next topic. The Director leaves the meeting deflated. He was expecting more. At least a few minutes of recognition. Maybe even a thank-you. Instead, he got a shrug. What went wrong? The Harsh Truth: You’re Talking About Value Expected Here’s the problem: the Director framed his update around effort and execution—what his team did . But the CIO interpreted it as something the team should have been doing all along . There’s a difference between value added and value expected . It’s one of the most important communication lessons professionals never get taught. ...

I’m excited to share the presentation I delivered at the switchOn Exchange Americas Enterprise Architecture Conference, titled “ Evolving Enterprise Architecture in the Age of Digital Disruption: Integrating AI-Driven Capabilities into Traditional EA Frameworks. ”  This presentation introduces a practical example of how AI can be used to extend and modernize traditional enterprise architecture practices. I walk through the creation of a custom AI agent designed to interview functional business users, capture business scenario inputs, and automatically generate standardized EA documentation aligned to frameworks like TOGAF. The approach helps streamline the capture of business architecture, improves consistency, and accelerates the documentation process — making EA more accessible and valuable to business stakeholders. In this post, you’ll find screenshots of the slides and a link to download the full package of supporting material, including how to configure the custom GPT. Wheth...

CIOs and CTOs are under more pressure than ever to deliver business value. They’re navigating AI adoption, digital product delivery, cybersecurity risks, and cost reduction — often all at once. And in many ways, they’ve succeeded in transforming IT into a more agile, scalable, and cloud-first function. But as business expectations grow, the next frontier is emerging. It’s not just about what tech leaders deliver — it’s about how deeply they understand and influence how the business works. The Shift Toward Capability-Centered Thinking Progressive technology leaders are beginning to reframe their role through the lens of business capabilities and operational processes — the foundational “what” and “how” behind business value creation. This shift doesn’t mean abandoning technical excellence. It means pairing it with a deep understanding of: What the business needs to be great at Where operational friction exists How process simplification, standardization, and digitization can unlock rea...

I’m excited to share that I was recently featured in CXO Dispatch , where I had the opportunity to discuss how IT leaders can reshape their role from technology providers to strategic business partners. In just five minutes, I cover key principles that have shaped my approach to enterprise leadership: Building trust as the foundation for transformation Moving beyond delivery to focus on clarity, collaboration, and adoption Embedding IT within business teams to drive outcomes Creating a culture of shared accountability and continuous improvement This is a topic I’m deeply passionate about, especially as IT organizations are being asked to do more with less while still driving innovation and business alignment. 🎥 Watch the feature here As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. How are you engaging stakeholders and creating meaningful cross-functional collaboration in your organization?