Organizing and Leading the IT Function

1. Organizing and Leading the IT Function Chapter 8

2. Organizational Issues in the Control of IT Activities • From centralized, IT-driven innovation to decentralized, user-driven innovation. • User-driven innovation over IT department projects. • From decentralized, user-driven innovation to centralized IT management. • From decentralized, user-driven innovation to unexpected centralized innovation.

3. Possible Implications of Excess IT and User Dominance

4. Possible Implications of Excess IT and User Dominance – Contd.

5. Possible Implications of Excess IT and User Dominance – Contd.

6. Drivers Toward User Dominance • Pent-up user demand • The need for staff flexibility • Growth in the IT services industry • Users’ desire to control their own destiny • Fit with the organization

7. Drivers Toward a Centralized IT Structure • Staff professionalism • Standard setting and ensuring system maintainability • Envisioning possibilities and determining feasibility • Corporate data management • Cost estimation and analysis

8. Coordination and Location of IT Policy • IT Responsibilities • User Responsibilities • General Management Support and Policy Overview

9. IT Responsibilities • Develop and manage the evolution of a long-term architectural plan. • Develop a process to establish, maintain, and evolve company standards. • Establish procedures that consider outsourcing options when new IT projects are proposed. • Maintain an inventory of installed or planned-to-be-installed information services. • Identify career paths for IT staff.

10. IT Responsibilities – Contd. • Establish internal marketing efforts for IT support. • Prepare a detailed checklist of questions to be answered in any hardware/software acquisition to ensure that relevant issues are raised. • Identify and maintain relationships with preferred systems suppliers. • Establish education programs for potential users. • Set up an on going review of legacy systems to determine when they should be redesigned and/or replaced.

11. User Responsibilities • Clearly understand the scope of all IT activities supporting the user. • Appraise the amount of user personnel investment required for each new project. • Ensure comprehensive user input for all IT projects that will support vital aspects of the unit’s operations. • Ensure that the IT-user interface is consistent with a new technology’s strategic relevance to a business unit. • Periodically audit system reliability standards, communication services performance and security procedures. • Participate in the development and maintenance of an IT plan.

12. General Management Support and Policy Overview • Ensure that an appropriate balance exists between IT and user inputs. • Ensure that a comprehensive IT strategy is developed. • Manage the inventory of hardware and software resources, and assure the corporate view extends to purchasing relationships and contracts. • Facilitate the creation of standards for acquisition, development and operations activities.

13. General Management Support and Policy Overview – Contd. • Facilitate transfer of technology from one unit to another. • Actively encourage experimentation. • Assume responsibility for developing an appropriate planning and control system to link IT firmly to the company’s goals.