Obvious you say, well not always.
Recently I was involved in a small business move from one location to brand new location. I wasn't actually involved in the move, I was consulting with the company on search engine optimization for their website, and happened to be there on the day before the move and the day of the move. I asked one of the partners what their expectation was for technology on the day of the move, and the response was fairly typical. They are taking our computers down the morning of the move and we will be back online in the afternoon. Well, five days later they were back up and running. I spoke with the technicians that were handling the move and they were a group of very talented guys and the company had purchased all the right equipment for the move. Everything was top of the line. It wasn't a technical problem that delayed the transition it was a logistics problem.
The difference between a project manager and a technician is that a project manager is skilled at handling logistics. They see things through the lens of the project. They see project dates, dependencies, resources, and schedules. A technician sees things through the technology lens. They see servers, workstations, routers, hubs, switches, and software. The CIO sees things through the business lens. They see client expectations, firm expectations, integration issues... in short they see the big picture.
These are different skill sets. Most small business owners don't take this into account and rely on their skilled technicians to handle larger projects or provide business expertise. This is how a move goes from one day to five days, and a $5,000 software purchase goes unused for months or even years.
Let me explain how the move might have gone better for this client. A project manager would understand that the T1 line (internet connection) in the new facility was a key dependency for this move. They would have scheduled the circuit turn up at least one week prior the move and conducted tests on the circuit during that week. In addition, this client was getting new workstations and a new server. 90% of the work on these machines could have been completed prior to the move day which would have freed up the staff to start working on more specific issues on move day. Finally, a CIO could have worked with the firm prior to the move to determine where furniture, power drops, and data lines were positioned to ensure that no lines would have to be moved after they move in. Often overlooked items are network printers and new work arrangements which naturally occur in a move to a larger facility.
As a small business owner consider augmenting your skilled technicians with project managers or a contract CIO. A project manager will ensure your one time project goes well. A CIO will provide the insight required to match technology with your business objectives. Don't ask your CIO to fix the printer, and don't ask your technician what time tracking software will work best for a firm similar to yours.