John Kavanagh takes a look at the work of the BCS Business-IT
Interface specialist group
It is less than a year old but already the BCS Business-IT
Interface specialist group's ultimate aim is to put itself out of
business. The group, which has its fourth meeting this month, wants
to get to the point at which business and IT understand each other
so well, and IT is so much a part of business strategy, that the
need for people to bridge the gap between the two sides
disappears.
Ruth Wallsgrove, one of the group's founders, says, "The group
was born out of the findings of many pieces of research that IT
projects fail when they do not target real needs or involve
users."
"But it is more than a case of making IT people more
user-friendly or making business people more IT-literate. We need
people with bridging skills, who understand the organisation, the
users, and IT. This vital role is often underestimated and the
skills are poorly developed," she adds.
"The Business-IT Interface specialist group aims to raise the
profile of the role and champion the professional development of
people working to bridge the gap between the business and IT, both
in projects and in drawing up IT strategy.
"At the strategy level such people might help shape business
goals by providing knowledge of what technology can do for the
business. The person might build business strategies, with business
managers, into which IT elements are embedded rather than seen as
separate entities," Wallsgrove says.
"At project level the person might be involved in intelligent
requirements analysis for anything from company mergers to user
interfaces, liaison with the business during a project, involvement
in associated procedures and job definitions, and managing the
early stages - even before it is clear if IT is even needed."
To sum up the gap between IT and business, Wallsgrove says, "The
distinction between IT and IS is important. The business wants the
right information in the right form at the right time - an
effective information system, which may or may not involve IT. At
present too much of the focus is on IT and too little on everything
else needed to make an IS succeed."
All this demands a special type of person. "A bridge is not just
someone who knows about business and about IT," Wallsgrove says.
"Other critical areas include interpersonal, managerial and
facilitator skills, and selling - bridging is about selling a
solution bilaterally to business and to IT."
One of the group's aims is to clearly define the role as a job
in its own right and then win recognition for it and for its
special career development needs.
About 200 people have registered an interest in the group's
work, ranging from IT managers and business analysts to consultants
and managers in services companies. And members have already
volunteered for working parties.
A particularly active working party is studying the reasons for
IT project failure and gathering case studies. Meetings have been
held in London and the North, to ensure people across the country
can get involved.
The next BCSBusiness-IT-Interface group meeting is on 27
September in central London. Details are available from
Ruth
Wallsgrove and at sfkt.co.uk/bridging.htm