Chief Delivery Officers have a wide range of skills and experiences they bring to the table. Where do you sit on that spectrum? Where are your strengths and weaknesses?
It's important to understand yourself so you can play your strongest game, and understand the team and the support you need around you to help you and the business perform at your best.
Chief Delivery Officer (CDO) vs Client Services Director (CSD) #
Although there's plenty of cross-over, there are some important the differences between these two roles.
- Does your role, skills, experience or focus tend more towards commercial responsibilities?
- Do you gravitate closer to the sales and account management end of the spectrum?
If so, you'll probably have greater affinity with a CSD role.
Both CDO and CSD are closely attentive to customer satisfaction, of course, but Delivery Directors are more broadly focused on service delivery and overall project execution, while Client Service Directors concentrate on the commercial relationship and ongoing success of a specific client or client portfolio.
More on this distinction coming shortly.
Chief Delivery Officer (CDO) vs Project Management Office lead (PMO) #
Or, on the other hand, is your position centred more on project planning, implementation, and continuous development phases?
Both roles have a specific focus on service and project delivery, so the distinction here is more nuanced. That said, the CDO has a specific responsibility for delivery strategy, how customer-focused efforts align with organisational objectives, and overall delivery excellence. A PMO Lead, on the other hand is more concerned with the practicalities of PMO functions — the practices, processes, and resources that are needed to support projects.
A longer look at the differences here is coming in due course.