Link IT management to business success
One weak link in any chain will eventually cause it to fail. The same is true in any IT management program.
By addressing three key interdependent IT links in your organization, you can establish a strong foundation for long-term business as well as IT success.
These links are: Front Office (what technology and deployment plan is needed to support organization productivity and growth goals); Back Office (functional technology to achieve identified goals); and Strategic Vision (the plan developed from Front and Back Office assessments, and overall business goals).
- Front Office. Look at what your business is doing and how it is doing it. What workflow processes are in place? How can they be improved and crystallized? Do you have the right technology tools and applications to meet workflow needs? Do users have the right skill sets to execute needed tasks with the right tools in place?
Based on a full Front Office analysis, patterns will emerge that dictate Back Office technology solutions. You may find that workflows are adequate and people are performing well, but that the tech system is unstable, slow, crashes constantly or is spyware-infested. - Back Office. Front Office findings should drive all Back Office technology setup. Back Office will review critical areas that support Front Office performance. Does the company have the right switching technologies? What do we do to keep the system running? Are we running system backups every night? Are we running out of disk space? Back Office must address technology to meet today’s needs, and plan for tomorrow’s.
To develop the best Back Office solutions, employ competent, credentialed technicians who can back up system recommendations with facts and who can prove previous experience with implementations similar to your challenge. - Strategic Vision. A “rough cut” strategic plan will emerge from a clearly defined Front Office and Back Office evaluation. Present all of this to management, get their feedback, then create a solid, refined Strategic Plan incorporating all pertinent issues and perspectives.
Next, inform employees, then enlist input and buy-in from them. This is critical. An article in the October 2005 Harvard Business Review states that, “On average, 95 percent of employees are unaware of or do not understand the organization's strategy. This probably explains why…around 90 percent of strategies fail to be carried out successfully.”
Once the plan is finalized: a) develop impactful, easily understood visuals to reinforce it company-wide; b) train early and often; c) make sure it’s properly and thoroughly implemented; d) follow through, even after the initial excitement disappears; and e) develop and maintain a management system to ensure ongoing success and alignment with objectives.
Tags: Article, IT Management, IT Services, Just Tips
