IT Management-101 Excerpts from the Book
IT Management-101 provides practical insight on what you need to do to function successfully in any IT Manager role. The book starts with a discussion on conducting an effective technology assessment and leads into eleven management traits necessary to be a successful IT manager.
Table of Contents include:
Introduction 2 About the Author 4 I. Understand Your Company's Needs 8 A. Goals and Objectives 9 B. Role needed for the IT Manager to Play 10 II. Assessment 11 A. Senior Management Input 14 B. Department Manager Input 24 C. Client Input 29 D. IT Staff Input 34 III. Key Questions That Must Be Answered 45 IV. Establish First 90-Day Objectives 50 V. 1-Year Game Plan 61 VI. First Things First 67 VII. Key Traits of Any Successful IT Manager 80 A. Ability to Assess Needs 80 B. Ability to Create a Vision 81 C. Ability to Create the Plan 84 D. Ability to Build the Team 87 E. Ability to Focus the Resources 96 F. Ability to Implement a Client Service 'Mindset' 99 G. Ability to Manage Projects 103 H. Ability to Implement Change Management Processes 113 I. Ability to Lead and Motivate 135 J. Ability to Communicate Effectively 139 K. Ability to Track and Measure Performance 143 VIII. Keep a Scorecard 152 IX. Communicate Successes 154
APPENDIX: A. Assessment questionnaires A-1 Senior Management Questionnaire 156 A-2 Department Manager Questionnaire 157 A-3 Client Questionnaire 158 A-4 IT Staff Questionnaire 159 B. Issues Priority Matrix 160 C. IT Project Hierarchy 161 D. Change Request Process D-1. Change Request - Programming 162 D-2. Change Request - Infrastructure 163 D-3. Programming Backlog Request Log 164 E. New Employee Orientation 165
Additional excerpts include:
F. Ability to Implement a Client Service 'Mindset'
Just because an organization says they have a "client service approach" does not make it so. Your assessments should have indicated as to whether the IT organization you have responsibility for is really delivering IT services and support with a client service "mindset". If you don't know, better read the chapter on assessment again.
What is a client service "mindset" ?
Glad you asked. In my approach, it has more to do with how IT approaches the support of its clients than in what it does.
First, a key point. The client is always right, , , but the client may not be "correct" or "accurate". What I mean by this is that the client is paying for your support. Yes, even if your IT client is another department or employee within your company (an internal client), they are essentially paying for your organization's existence. With that said, the client has every right to disagree with or to be unhappy with your services, , , to a point.
What I am not saying is that you should do everything the client says and do it with the biggest smile ever seen by mankind. It's the IT organization's responsibility to provide leadership to it's clients as it relates to technology issues. After all, they really are buying that along with the specific products and services that you provide.
If the client is unhappy, it's up to the manager to help establish an appropriate satisfaction level. Remember the emphasis on assessment ? You never get away from the necessity to develop clear assessments of situations. Client problems are no different. Understanding the issues surrounding a dissatisfied client has opportunity written all over it.
Let's list items that constitute a client service "mindset":
- Priorities are driven by the client's needs - The client participates in establishing priorities - The client is not surprised by changes implemented by IT - The client's system availability is always taken into consideration when implementing new technology - IT has escalation processes in place to minimize system downtime - IT communicates to the client frequently and proactively in troubleshooting problems - IT managers proactively manage client expectations in a manner that allows the IT organization to meet or exceed expectations - IT managers step up to inappropriate client issues or behavior that affects the support of their systems - The client is involved in the quality assurance of new technology releases and partners with IT rather than simply receiving technology services from IT - Follow-up is automatic. When an IT employee tells the client they will do something, you can "take it to the bank" that it gets done or someone communicates to the client the reasons it can't be done before the client has to call and ask.
Let's talk about follow-up. This is such a BIG issue !!! It is also a very basic issue that is vital to positive client service. You can have the best technology resources and the best implementation project plans in the world and have a totally unsuccessful IT organization if it does not follow-up well. On the other hand, you can have less capable people and be considered an excellent IT organization when you communicate and follow up exceptionally well. I'll take the second type of organization any day. There really is no excuse for not following up !
That's not to say that you don't have to deliver; you do. The client wants more from IT, but they want it predictably and in an informed, no surprises, way. Your ability to develop within your organization excellent follow-up skills positions the organization to be able to make mistakes without getting slammed by your client. Poor follow-up skills and making mistakes gets you a lot of scars so emphasize to your group the necessity of following up and communicating well.
Reward those attributes and watch how motivated your organization becomes.
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