26836 A CIO Balancing Act Vertical Slices and Delivering a Constant Value Stream While Also Assembling Building Blocks for True Innovation Wes Williams, Ph.D., VP & CIO, Mental Health Center of Denver Wes Williams, Ph.D., VP & CIO, Mental Health Center of Denver Project management expertise is one skill CIOs can bring to companies. Agile project management isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but certain core concepts apply broadly. One such concept is “vertical” slices of work. Working in vertical slices delivers a constant value stream. One challenge for the modern CIO is balancing this agile approach, favoring small, incremental changes, with strategically assembling the building blocks necessary to be ready to take a leap when new technology presents the opportunity.