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The physicist cannot simply surrender to the philosopher the critical contemplation of the theoretical foundations for he himself knows best and feels most surely where the shoe pinches…. he must try to make clear in his own mind just how far the concepts which he uses are justified… The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.
- Albert Einstein
In a prior post (Edge of IT), I looked at a useful construct in which IT services could be grouped into those at either the Core of IT, or the Edge of IT. Core services were defined as those which play to the ongoing day-to-day success or failure of the IT organization. Examples of this would be software development, package implementation, application support, help desk, project and program management. You get the idea. The front lines.
This is where management comes up big. This is the world of process definition. This is the world of execution. This is the world of continuous improvement.
At the Core of IT, you will find a System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and all their siblings. In more mature organizations you will find a high level of adherence to these constructs, and possibly even customized versions of these frameworks tailored to the organization.
This is also the area where truly great IT organizations separate themselves from their peers. Organizations which are able to articulate the problems to solve, the benefits and costs in doing so, and have developed a well thought through approach in addressing the problem have a huge leg up. By doing so, the organization can avoid false starts and mis-direction, early involvement of stakeholders instead of late, and the projects have a better chance of running to conclusion. In general, this will provide a more efficient use of capital.
Organizations which are able to comprehensively look at a portfolio of well thought through candidate projects and, similar to a corporate venture fund, invest in those that will offer the greatest return (often beyond simply financial return), will be more effect. The governing body which will select from this portfolio will be able to focus the organization through their decisions, on being more effective. More effective in how they are run. More effective in how they allocate resources.
Execution of projects is where the rubber meets the road. Following a well-respected method which is appropriate for the organization is a good start. Excellent management of the projects being executed will make a company great. There will a continuous stream of issues to be addressed, risks to be managed,and people issues to deal with. A bad manager can take a stellar team and have the project fail miserably. A good manager can routinely achieve the miraculous with little to work with.
ITIL is a wonderful framework for managing IT operations. Those organizations which are more mature will more often than not follow ITIL (or a derivative) closely. They will be monsters about deviation from the script – after all, the script works and works well. They will take uptime, defect resolution, and availability seriously. There will be a sense of pride in the way they execute their business and how this affects their end customers.
These are not the only areas at the Core, but certainly the ones which are front and center. Management comes up big here. Great management at the Core means happy IT customers and this translates into more effective and efficient IT organization.
Manage well.
Hi Russ,
Excellent post!
One’s perception of the IT service is often reduced to a phone conversation with a helpdesk service agent, first impression while using a new application just launched performance of mission critical applications, unable to print delivery tickets, response to disaster situation, stable desktop computer, etc. These are all related to Core IT.
One can define “Core” as the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything. This definition applies to IT most essential functions- one that you refer to as “Core IT”. “Core IT” is IT’s service delivery engine, its reason for being. It is where internal customers engage and experience IT.
Glenn