Page 16 - DCAP307_PLANNING_AND_MANAGING_IT_INFRASTRUCTURE

Planning and Managing IT Infrastructure

Notes Many new managers will immediately find the political landscape in their new role, whether
they mean to or not. Projects and corporate goals create political landscapes and as you make
decisions in your new role, you are helping to shape that landscape.
It is important to recognise that while some managers (or non-managers for that matter) do
their best to stay out of politics in the workplace at all costs, other managers thrive on it. Politics
can come in many different forms, from turf wars over who manages a department or project
down to something as simple as what colour a company logo or shirt is.

The point is politics is present at every company and you as an IT Manager should be aware of
it. Some politics is necessary. Everytime humans are involved in a decision making process,
there are going to be non-objective considerations that have to be made.

Example: Jim is being promoted to a new management role, but Cathy is against it
because Jason is Jim’s best friend. She believes Jim will play favourites with Jason while hanging
her out to dry. This is part of human nature and has to be dealt with.
IT Managers now have many responsibilities (data centres, staff management,
telecommunications, servers, workstations, web sites, user support, regulatory compliance,
disaster recovery, etc.) and connect with almost all the departments (Accounting, Marketing,
Sales, Distribution, etc.) within a company or organisation.
This is both the good and the bad news. At some companies, an IT Manager can have direct
inûuence on the strategic direction of the company, suggesting and helping implement e-
commerce initiatives, for example. In other companies, an IT Manager is really a technician, a
software developer, or network installer. And to complicate things even further, those deûnitions
change quickly over time. Yesterday’s network installer is today’s e-commerce consultant. By
the way, at this point, “IT” (Information Technology) and “IS” (Information Systems) have now
become synonymous terms. While they are often used interchangeably, “IT” is becoming much
more widely used.

!

Caution Some people may use “IS” to refer to activity related to business software
applications, but this use has waned considerably.

1.5.1 IT Manager’s Strategic Role

Strategic thinking requires projecting an organisation’s needs and activities several years into
the future and building capabilities to meet those needs. Organisations expect IT managers to
have knowledge of technology trends and assist in strategic planning to incorporate new
technologies into acquisitions and training. Other areas of corporate management that depend
on the strategic knowledge of IT managers include data security, quality initiatives that use
technical solutions and assessment of competition in applying technology. Expect the IT manager’s
integral involvement in assessing corporate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats —
SWOT analysis — from an information technology perspective.

1.5.2 IT Manager’s Tactical Role

The IT manager interacts with project managers to help define project scope, schedules, budgets,
priorities and milestones. She assists in developing department procedures and working with
stakeholders. The IT manager communicates regularly with senior management on status and
issues for all IT projects. In some organisations, the IT manager directs the project management
office and approves hiring and promotions of IT personnel.

10 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY