“The reason we engage all these big consulting forms primarily is for that program management, change management, comms management, all of that handholding,” he says. “Where these Deloittes, IBMs, and Accentures come into the picture is that they know how to do these large transformations, and you’re touching your entire company — finance, supply, procurement, and sales — and they help navigate the change.”

But for CIOs willing to take a risk, the rewards can be great, Donepudi says.

“It’s a new approach and it’s risky, and I am taking full ownership,” he says. “I’m fully accountable for this one versus, ‘I gave this deployment to IBM for $50 million per year, and it’s on IBM to help us if something goes wrong. IBM is on the hook.’”