Top things to address in managing an IT department - part 2

Here are my next 6 things to address in managing an IT department. Again they are not necessarily in any order of importance. This will be a series of postings until I have completed the total, which stands at about 36 at the moment. Please feed back any comments.

7.Define the department structure
Document the department structure and communicate it. Look at structuring on functional needs and look at the number of reports to each person. Somewhere I heard it should be no more than 7 but also worry of it is one to one.

8. Create job descriptions
This means make sure everybody knows what they are supposed to be doing. Create a job description for each person and look at using sensible industry standard job titles. Job descriptions should be updated regularly and reviewed at appraisal time.

9. Establish an appraisal structure and object setting
Regular appraisals are essential and not just the once a year 'tick in the box' kind. Consider object setting and roll this down from the IT Director so that there is some cohesion across the department. Make time for appraisals and do them properly.

10. Set up a skills matrix
Find out what everybody's skills and skill levels are. Create a matrix of required skills and get people to mark themselves against that using a scoring system to reflect level of skill (i.e. 5 equals expert) Review that with their supervisor to ensure accuracy. Use in conjunction with appraisal, project resourcing and training programmes to bring skill levels up and assign the right people to tasks.

11. Define measurements
They say you can't manage what you can't measure. Determine the measurements needed to ensure IT is delivering value, meeting key performance indicators and service levels. Consider using a balanced score card approach. Measurements may be at monthly and other intervals such as quarterly and annual. Communicate them to your team and within the business.

12. Create a budget and budget process
You need a budget to manage IT and act as a guideline to the business on likely costs. A budget is not an authority to spend and you will still need an approval process to acquire the items within the budget. The budget is the framework and each year a key task is to define recurring and new project costs. New project costs should be referenced against the strategy. The budget process within a business will normally be defined, as it is not IT specific. It will include an approval process where you may need to justify what you have included.

2007 Diary - week 15

The second 4 day week in a row. Really hard to get back to work after 4 days off.
But once at work then the holiday seems ages ago, even after a couple of hours! How often do you find hardware failures after a holiday? We had a Network switch failing on a remote site so had to despatch an engineer and replacement. All worked out well with minor outage for some people. Diagnostic software now tells us what is happening or about to happen so often you can preempt the problem before it occurs.
Sat in on a post project review meeting which was very good. Even though the project was successful there were some lessons to be learnt and hopefully these will be fed into future projects. It is easy to forget post project reviews but these are really useful not just for lessons learnt but also to confirm delivery of the benefits.

striving for satisfaction

Read somewhere in the last week, that an IT Director was not ever happy because he never achieved the ultimate goal, as there was always something else needed doing.
You can have some sympathy with that view as managing IT never seems to be finished and by that I mean you never can reach utopia. Its a bit like climbing a mountain, you get to what you think is the top only to find there is another climb ahead. The only difference is with a mountain you do eventually get to the peak although you then find that somebody has been there before you and left a pile of rocks!
We have a strategy, goals and plans and we are working through those and every now and then we achieve a milestone, we review and complete goals and from those we derive satisfaction. There is no end because we are dealing with a moving target, certainly in a dynamic business environment where the only certainty is change.
Personally I think it would be boring if we got to a point where we said, "well that's it, all done" lets just keep it going. Call me a masochist but I would be off to climb that mountain...

2007 Diary - week 14

The first of two Four day weeks with Easter holidays approaching which also means staff shortages as the schools break up and people book holidays. This week has seen the usual round of meetings plus 'discussion' with suppliers on the usual issues of why is this not working or why is this taking longer than planned. We have a couple of areas where we are having to keep a close eye on events to ensure delivery to our satisfaction (without getting the contracts out!) but hopefully after the discussions we will be seeing a little more focus and the subsequent results. Nothing to disastrous, so for now it is Easter break and forget everything until next week. (Will take the mobile email machine just in case I get withdrawal symptoms!)

TOP things to address in managing an IT department – part 1

Here are my first 6 things to address in managing an IT department, not necessarily in order of importance.
So far I have come up with 36 in total but that may grow as the weeks pass and hopefully I will get some feed back if I have missed anything or anybody disagrees. 50 sounds a nice number to achieve.

1. Ensure you have a data backup plan
Essential that you create a backup plan. This needs to identify all key data and how it is backed up with frequency (daily, weekly), cycles and retention periods (eg.7 years) as a minimum. Also where the backups are stored and how the data would be restored. The backups and restores should be tested. Can't sleep at night without this.

2. Create a disaster recovery plan and test it regularly
Create a fully documented disaster recovery plan linked in with the organisations Business continuity plan. Defines how the IT systems will be recovered in the event of a disaster. Includes detailed instructions including provision of third party services. Must be tested at least annually if not twice a year. Sometimes the test is done unannounced to create a 'real as possible' situation. Links in with the data backup plan.

3. Develop an IT strategy aligned to the business
Review the business plans of the organisation, understand the issues and directions. Review the existing IT capabilities and then create a 3-year plan with the first year in some depth. Get the strategy agreed with the business executives. See earlier post on this subject.

4. Define the IT policies
Ensure that you define what policies are required for your organisation that are IT related and work with Human Resource department to get these written, approved and communicated to all staff. Will include things like Data Protection, Use of Email and Internet, Security, Data destruction and Disposal, Portable equipment, Firewall, Software licences, Home working etc. etc.

5. Create a security plan and test it.
It is important in this technological age that the IT resources are secure. Apart from the IT security policy, a plan on securing the IT environment should be established and implemented. Consider using external organisation to audit the security and carry out penetration testing on the external boundaries of your networks. Also consider complying with security standards (iso/iec 7799 - ISO17799) that now exist to gain accreditation.

6. Establish governance principles and methodologies
Establish the principles upon which you are going to govern the IT function. In some cases these may be forced upon you by the industry that you are in. i.e. Sarbanes-Oxley. There are a number of established methodologies around from COBIT, VAL IT, ITIL, to specifics for Development such as DSDM and for Projects such as Prince2 or PMI. Why develop your own when all these 'best practices' are around.

2007 Diary - week 13

Week 13 but not superstitious!
A lot of internal stuff this week including a department meeting.
Like to get everybody together to ensure we are communicating and therefore deliver a programme update plus usually get somebody to do an overview of a specific area/technology. Was going to do them monthly but that was too ambitious (the days go by so quickly, hope that is not age!) so they are now quarterly.
Went over to one of our other offices and being 'green' caught the train which was its usual wonderful experience! Obviously a lot of people have caught onto the environment issues as it was difficult getting a seat. The train company also helped the environment by cutting down on the number of carriages. Wish I had taken the car and planted a tree!
Ended the week with a supplier meeting and a good opportunity to see what else is happening with them and the rest of the marketplace.