As part of a programme to get to know our readers better, Computer
Weekly staff spent time recently shadowing IT chiefs in their
departments. Here is one set of reflections.
If you listen to IT suppliers, you would think that IT departments
are working under a black cloud right now. Although it may be true
that some IT departments have made cut-backs, I was lucky enough to
follow an IT chief around a department which is sparking with
innovations.
The company is a small- to medium-sized enterprise with 500
employees and a high annual turnover. It is a relatively
specialist, high-tech manufacturer and an early adopter of
technology.
As an international company with remote sites, its IT department
needs to look at the latest ways of communicating. Consequently the
average week for the head of IT is heavily concerned with
discovering new ways "to advance the business strategically". He
says a major goal is to work smarter with cost savings a motivation
for only "half of the time".
Besides ensuring that helpdesk, hardware, software development and
R&D worked well together, the bulk of the IT head's projects
concern making improvements in the company's IT infrastructure.
These include tendering for a £300,000 billing system; evaluating
Voice over IP alongside data in a wireless environment; setting up
a network-attached storage system; and keeping an eye on a new SAP
system installed by the finance department.
On the downside his biggest headache is negotiating with telecoms
providers. "You never deal with the same person twice," he says.
Maintaining a private branch exchange, which can only be worked on
by the supplier's staff and requires second-hand phones costing
£450 each, is the other bane of his life.
The department head did not begin his career in IT. Likewise, most
of the staff heading up the subsections have engineering and
electronics backgrounds.
What sets the head of IT apart is his ability to negotiate. Again
and again people say he is a "very good", "streetwise" and "robust"
contract negotiator with suppliers, known to spend all day working
through contract points and "tying vendors in knots".
If the head of IT is characterised by his ability to deal robustly
with the outside world, his lieutenants are endowed with a quality
which suits them to their task.
The head of the helpdesk is strong in people skills. His modern
management style initially reminded me of TV's David Brent from The
Office with his comment, "We have a no-blame culture. Where there
would be blame we turn it into a learning point. People feel bad
enough about making a mistake as it is". But then he is running a
small, young team of in-house trained staff. His background is as a
technical writer and trainer.
On the technical side the heads of R&D and hardware can be
described as enthusiasts. The hardware manager comes across as
"king of the computer room" when in his domain.
His role centres on managing his team, which looks after the
network and hardware, in a way that allows them to come up with
ideas. The priority is to keep up with technology advances and to
stay supported in an environment based on three-year upgrade
cycles. This amounts to almost constant change given that cycles
overlap.
This particular "king" is not on the throne for life though - he
has held a number of similar posts in the past and sees his career
as a succession of roles where he goes in, improves things and
moves on.
If anything, constant change characterises this particular IT
department and their working lives are typified by a succession of
new, interesting projects.
It wasn't quite what I, as a journalist who writes about IT,
expected. I wonder if they have any vacancies?