One comment I overwhelming hear as a consultant and otherwise is 'we are being asked to do more with less'. I continue to reflect on this comment and ask what it means to different people. Are we doing more with less time? less resources? less direction? less ambition? less skill? Sadly, each of the above appear to filter into the answer. As technology managers, we need to be extremely careful that we don't find new ways to spread ourselves thin (than you Barry for the appropriate phrase).
The demand on technology to enable business continues to increase. I firmly believe that our leadership must identify how we can redirect this growing feeling of despair and doing more with less into a position of power and opportunity. I’ve learned to think through our condition and consider the following to overcome a feeling of helplessness and focus on serving the rganization.
Review staff contributions and capacity objectively.
I once heard an executive say ‘never waste a good recession’. His point was simple. If you have staff that have been underperforming, now is the time to take action to either ‘change' the people’ or ‘change the people’. As managers and leaders, our first objective should be positioning our staff for success. We need to invest in them and determine if they have the right attitude, the right skills, the right drive and service perspective. Good managers will do what they can to help change them for long term success. If they don’t show signs of reform, then it is time to find new staff (or change them). In times that call for flexibility, learning new technologies and proving great service, you need to ensure your staff has the capacity to change as the needs change. Anyone who suggests they don’t want to learn new things is self-selecting for a short term position.
Review the services provided.
Over time, I’ve learned that those organizations that have a desire to say yes to everything start to lose focus and become masters of nothing. They are stretched thin, and continue to stretch themselves thinner as they introduce more and more ‘simple’ solutions that must be maintained. And, the worst thing is this – many of these simple solutions are based on multiple technologies that could most likely be provided through one of the main, core technologies. How many imaging systems and processes do you have? How many ways do you manage form development and processing? How many desktop management tools and utilities? How many file stores and databases? You get the picture. The key here is to leverage your core technology out of the box – not everything has to be a custom solution! Find what you do best, what you’ve invested in the most, and leverage it. Put together consistent training and support and reduce the number of things you support (or claim to support).
Review your core competency and identify where the value lives.
This one may lead to finding partners who do things that are not specific to the core of your business. Does your business depend on having systems teams to manage your email? What bout hosting your ERP? Are you in a position to hire high rate staff to do maintenance updates, review performance of the system, and keep the lights on? Wouldn’t your resources be better invested in functional and value added services that demonstrate how to leverage and use the technology? I submit that external hosting and support isn’t a bad thing to review and consider. If you have a specific SLA that is required, shop around and see if you can improve your low level support while reinvesting in value added services.
Consolidate where practical
Consolidation is sometimes seen as centralization and control, but honestly, in certain areas this is needed. We should have no hesitation that networks must be consolidated, but what about rinting services, back up services, storage and licensing? This is a conversation that needs to be inclusive and honest. Saying that everyone needs to have a desktop management solution misses the boat. Honest review and solid leadership will identify a list of items – in any organization – where there is duplicated effort that wastes time, introduces user frustration, and inconsistent support processes. Agree that your organization needs to find the areas of commonality and position the right areas to do this work/service.
There are numbers of other things to consider as we find ourselves spreading ourselves thin. The above have served me well and are some of the first items I visit as we look to improve service amid high demands that exceed investment in IT. Good luck as you review your operation and find ways to keep yourself whole and relevant!
Blessings
John
No comments:
Post a Comment