Category Archives: Management
Spark!
Spark. The sound of an idea coming to life. Once born, it will seek out other ideas and inspire people to build on it, growing into and morphing into many other shapes and sizes… Continue reading
Next Level Thinking
Changing your way of thinking is not easy. Culture, habit, and time pressures conspire to keep the things as they are. getting to the next level, regardless of what level that may be, requires this very change however… Continue reading
Decisions are Made by Individuals
Let’s be clear. Decisions are made by people – by individuals. Decisions are not made by groups or committees… Continue reading
How We Make Decisions
…It is often thought that big decisions need big process to support them. This is not necessarily so. Sometimes speed of decision is more important than the comprehensiveness of a “big process”. Let us be clear though, a process (formal / informal, structured / unstructured, instinctive / thoughtful) exists for all decisions, whether you realize it or not. Continue reading
Margin Notes
…Another tool I have found is to review margin notes of managers, directors, and above. When available, if you are able to take a look at meeting agenda’s, presentation handouts, status reports, and the like you may notice something quite interesting. The handwriting which people place on these documents are far more than simple markings. The handwriting which in the margins is the individual’s personal take on specific items. In a similar way that handwriting analysts are able to understand a writer from their handwriting (based a direct connection from brain to pen to paper), margin notes are created in the same way… Continue reading
Managing at the Core
…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 develop a well though 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. Continue reading
Edge of IT
Several months ago, I was introduced to the concept of differentiating IT into “Core” and “Edge” functions. This very useful construct has significant implications to the way that you think about management and leadership of an IT department… Continue reading
Angry Exec Ratio
Making people happy is over rated. Making everyone happy is impossible. Getting the job done, no matter how difficult, is enormously under rated… Continue reading
Celebration of Shadow IT
All those of you who have participated in a Sarbanes-Oxley audit hold up your hand? Good. Now, how many of you have been involved in documenting the processes under scrutiny by the Act? I see fewer hands up. For those of you with your hands still up, do you notice something interesting in each of these processes? Thats’s right, there’s a healthy dose of technology inside these processes – and a healthy percentage of this was developed by people who don’t work within… Continue reading
Using IT (Or Not)
…In order to meet this need, IT organizations are built around managing volume, oriented around large-scale initiatives, and work within defined processes and methodologies to prioritize among the enormous number of items competing for attention, and do so while minimizing the risk to all. Continue reading
