How do you keep core projects and responsibilities on track
and ensure that your output fits larger business purposes? These
were the core themes at the recent IT Directors'
Forum.
About 450 IT directors and senior managers attended perhaps the
UK's largest corporate IT user conference of the year.
The main focus for most was how to achieve consolidation,
convergence and collaboration between existing applications and
departments. Users wanted to ensure that whatever they do ties in
with the true business needs and delivers value. Therefore sessions
on developing the necessary management and leadership skills were
popular.
One piece of advice to delegates summed up much of the thrust of
the conference: a call to reopen old files, dig out the original
business cases for projects in progress, and review business
objectives against the original assumptions. Another session
explained the importance of distinguishing between efficiency -
doing something right-and effectiveness - doing the right thing.
Despite the suppliers' hype and hope almost no one was planning any
real use of new technologies. The focus was relatively low level,
implementing remote access programmes through Voice over IP or
virtual private networks. Mobile e-commerce projects were not in
evidence.
There was a lot of emphasis on the softer issues. "First seek to
understand in order to be understood," was one bit of advice that
stuck in the mind of one IT director. To help IT directors and
managers improve their image as well as their self-image, the
conference laid on a series of lifestyle consultants, dress sense
advisers, psychologists and graphologists.
About the forum
The IT Directors' Forum is an annual three-day ship-borne,
high-level conference run by Richmond Events since the 1990s. It is
free to users and paid for by suppliers who get structured
opportunities to meet them at fixed times each day. The ITDF is for
those in all sectors except finance. Richmond Events runs a sister
conference, City IT - this year from 6-9 November - for IT
directors from that sector.
www.itdf.co.ukwww.cityit.co.uk