IT professionals should use this year to enhance their perceived
value and better understand business priorities, according to
analyst group Gartner. It suggests eight key points to
consider:
- Take inventory of your technology and business knowledge. Be
honest about bare spots, and expand your knowledge.
- Get smart about the key drivers of your company's business.
Network with business counterparts to discuss their financial and
operational objectives. Become the business-knowledge liaison to
your IT team.
- Identify required services. By understanding your business, you
will be able to identify and implement services that will help
drive your company's success. Integration, process insight and
versatility will be watchwords.
- Become an evergreen professional. Pursue emerging and enduring
knowledge, competencies and experiences.
- Seek leadership opportunities and accountability. This isn't
the year to lay low. Mergers and acquisitions, consolidation and
globalisation will increase the number of projects and internal
initiatives. Step up to the plate.
- Strengthen your knowledge of business principles. There are
dozens of ways to gain business acumen: accounting, communications,
financial analysis, marketing, cost management and so on.
Additional business knowhow will enhance your career and increase
your credibility in the business units within your company.
- Get connected. Network with project leaders and champions.
Careers are built on both what you know and on who you know.
- Find new value in prior IT investments. Revisit the
applications and technologies that have been deployed and reapply
functions and features to new processes. Your success will depend
on your newfound knowledge of business processes, customer markets
and financial goals.