MDE News
Special offer to Practical Tips Newsletter subscribers

My first IT Manager Development Institute has been scheduled for June 23-27,2003 in Nashville, Tennessee. As a Practical Technology Tips subscriber you will receive a 20% discount when registering by May 2nd. Just enter the discount code "newsletter" when completing the credit card information or make me aware if registering by mail or by phone. If you need help in justifying the expense, give me a shout. The benefits of this program will pay for the class many times over and very quickly.

The discount code will work for any of my web site products through May 2, 2003 so feel free to use it as you wish, even share this offer with others you know. Online registration and additional information is available at http://www.mde.net/institute .

The IT Manager Development Institute is the most comprehensive 5-day training module of its kind and has been structured like no other class.  Each participant will receive a customized 30-Day Action Plan developed with me just as if I were your CIO. Then, weekly follow-up calls to each manager after the class will provide frequent opportunities to discuss issues related to each person's specific situation. In addition, I will provide 90 days of free access by phone and email to me to coach and mentor each student as needed so they have the support needed to achieve greater levels of success in their IT management role.   Learn more.

First Belmont University class is scheduled
Belmont University and I have scheduled the first class in a series of 1 and 2-day IT management classes planned for delivery over the next year. Conducting an Effective IT Assessment will be delivered at Belmont's Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business on June 5th, 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee. This one day class will introduce the key goals for conducting an IT assessment and the basics of how to accomplish an effective technology assessment. For registration information, contact Cynthia McLane, Director of the Technology Learning Cooperative at Belmont University:
    Email:    mclanec@mail.belmont.edu
    Phone:   615-460-5566
Or, you may contact me:
    Email:    mike@mde.net
    Phone:   931-490-6932

IT Tidbits Corner
Print the entire width of the newsletter

If you want to print the entire width of this newsletter, simply follow these easy steps:
1.  Go to the web site version. The web site url is always at the top of the newsletter email.
2.  Select File option at the top of your browser window, then Page Setup
3.  Change both the left and right margin settings to 0.25 inches. Usually the default is set for you at 0.75".
4.  Select File and Print and follow the steps to print the web page. It should print the complete width of the newsletter.

Nashville PMI Chapter class scheduled July 10-11
Managing an IT Due Diligence Project will be taught at the Willis Conference Center in Nashville, Tennessee on July 10-11. The class will utilize the tools and process I developed while conducting more than 35 IT due diligence projects to support new company acquisitions. This class provides the insight and methodology to conduct a thorough IT assessment that identifies needs of the company, potential risks, key issues, and potential leverage opportunities. The class helps the student determine whether IT and the business are aligned and how to place appropriate priority in IT initiatives that address the identified issues while staying closely aligned with the business need. 

For registration information, contact Brenda Coons, Education Coordinator of the Nashville PMI Chapter.
    Email:    brenda.coons@eds.com
    Phone:   615-595-1910
Or, contact me  -  my contact information is above.

Product & Services Review
ACTS Technical Awareness Series program and Survey Services for IT Managers

The week of May 5th through the 9th I plan to attend the Technical Awareness Series program (TAS) conducted twice a year by ACTS Corporation.

If you are interested in knowing why the viability of Intel's 64-bit architecture is being questioned, or why one transportation company recently pulled the plug on a $43 million project with Websphere, UDB, and XML, or why a large telecom company's server consolidation project imploded, you might want to consider attending TAS yourself. Are you wondering if Linux is a legitimate alternative, what opensource is all about, if its practical to convert Cobol code to Java, or how Java compares to .NET? If you prefer straight answers and don't mind having very frank discussions about vendors and technology, then the TAS format will be your answer.

These seminars are excellent for IT managers who don't come from technical backgrounds and for managers or IT architects who are strong in one area but need more breadth. Each day is a stand-alone seminar so you can attend all or part of the week as your needs dictate. Tell them you heard about the class from Mike Sisco and you will get a 10% discount off the already affordable class fee. It is held in beautiful Hilton Head Island and before school is out. I'm combining the technical update session with a family trip before the resort's heavy vacation crowd gets there.

There are still a few seats open; I hope to see you there.
Learn more about TAS


ACTS Corporation also provides a client and employee survey service that is worth taking a look at. Every IT organization needs to stay in touch with where their client and technology users perceive they are (i.e., are you doing a good job or not). Annual surveys are recommended in some form or fashion and having them conducted by an outside organization tends to express objectivity to your respondents.

ACTS has developed a process and tools that are shown to get more responses than typical surveys and at a lower cost than it would cost you to do it yourself. The tool is an online web based tool that is highly flexible and can give you considerable insight and measurements from clients and employees that will tell you how well your IT organizations are performing. The company works with you to develop the survey questions that meet your desired objectives and will even help you analyze the data for meaning and insight and makes recommendations on how to improve customer satisfaction.

If you are interested in the TAS class or in the ACTS Corporation survey services, contact Bill Carico at:
       Bill Carico, President
       ACTS Corporation
       Phone Contact: 434-385-1397
       Email:    bcarico@actscorp.com

Learn more about ACTS' Client and Employee Survey Services

Practical IT Manager Tips 
When cutting IT expenses, be careful not to cut muscle

The big movement for well over a year now has been to cut expenses and reduce the cost of operations. The IT department has not been immune to this push from the top of companies nor should it be.

When revenues decline, stockholders still expect the companies they invest in to operate profitably and to keep the stock price up. As we all know, stocks have taken a beating in the last two years--just look at your 401k statement. The pressure for earnings has a renewed focus.

I'm a strong proponent of managing company expenses in line with revenues. I'm also a supporter of managing IT expense as a percent of company revenue.

The problem comes into play when cost cutting initiatives cut into muscle as opposed to eliminating "fat".  There are critical resource requirements to provide even the most basic level of technology support. In normal cases, a few areas need to have some amount of backup or depth in case a key member of the team leaves for some reason.

When you begin any cost cutting initiative, you should take a very close look at the support needs of the company and how you are organized to provide that support. Identify critical support requirements that must be in place to support core competencies of the company, i.e. the IT "muscle".

Carve these key resources and expenses related to the support they provide out of your list of potential cost cuts. By identifying the true "muscle" of your IT organization, you help ensure that the primary business support need will be taken care of. Be objective and validate with senior management.

If you have "star" staff members in areas that are being looked at to be eliminated, consider shifting them to your core competency support areas. The team you want to end up with is the very best of the staff you have today and when you have to eliminate staff, you owe it to your team and the company to lose the weakest of the bunch. You must stay objective when doing this - it is a tough assignment.

Always try to find business opportunities that allow you to make IT investments that save the company much more than what will be saved by cutting IT expense. Most companies have these opportunities but if you wait until the "cost cutting" message comes down, it is too late.

IT Management Models
Fail to Plan : Plan to Fail

A key success factor for any IT Manager is the ability to plan for the future.

Most don't !

Believe it or not, more IT managers fail to plan because it's hard work and much easier to react to issues rather than develop a concise plan of attack.

Executing well and being aligned with your business has a lot to do with how well you plan. Planning is the most significant part of high levels of achievement.

Planning literally puts you in the "driver's seat". It establishes clear expectations of  what you will do, when and how. Planning also send the message to others around you that you are organized, decisive, and willing to make the effort to get the job done properly with minimal surprise and problems.

Many fail to plan because it is easier to "wing it". When you "shoot from the hip", surprise, problems, and ultimately failure are right around the corner.  It's just a matter of time.

Letters from the Field
"Is age discrimination an issue for IT Managers and Project Managers?"

If you had asked me this a few years ago, I would have said, "definitely". The dot.com boom and the buzz about reengineering the corporation seemed to make senior executives believe that younger, entrepreneurial managers could make all their problems go away quickly and many times easily.

You know what, there really aren't too many shortcuts unless you have a business that is running so poorly and needs basic processes to operate effectively.

All companies have challenges and always will. I have seen a few companies take the lead of a "smooth talker" thinking that his/her ideas were innovative and that the company could take a major leap forward quickly by casting away all the "old ideas" that had been successful to that point but "slower than what should be". We have all seen companies take this leap of faith and watch their stock price go from $50.00 per share to $2.00, or even lower.

Since the dot.com blowout and the depressed economy, I would say that there is truly a renewed focus on company earnings. In many cases, companies are looking for the veteran CIO or Project Manager that has solid credentials in managing IT initiatives cost effectively and has a proven record of achieving tangible results. It's now in fashion to have a credible track record and the "t-shirt" that says you have "been there and done that".

I wouldn't say there is still not some prejudice against older managers but there is definitely more situations where a little gray hair is a benefit and not a liability.

The thing companies look for and need is someone that instills quick confidence and that they believe can come in and make a difference quickly. The better you are in articulating your capabilities and achievements that show you know how to align technology initiatives with business needs that are cost effective, the better your chances.

The real prejudice against an older manager is often that he or she normally costs more. That's a legitimate concern. A solid manager, regardless of age, can be worth their weight in gold and in most cases you get what you pay for.

"War Story" Lessons
Is it a "bad employee" or something else?

I joined a company many years ago as the new CIO and as I normally do began my own IT assessment. My approach in assessing a company's technology situation is to begin with senior management, work my way through company departments that use technology supported by IT, and finally go to the IT organization to complete the assessment.

In this case, I heard several people in the Corporate departments describe an IT employee as being unreliable, never sure where she is, slow to complete any project, and on and on. On the other hand, the operational staff in the remote offices had high praise for her.

There was a big push from the corporate departments to fire her as she was just "no good".

Upon further review, it became clear that the problem was a management issue and not an employee issue. The problems the corporate departments were having stemmed from the fact that this one person was trying to do what three or four people would be required to accomplish.

Because this had been an issue for a couple of years, she simply got caught into a rut of doing all that she could every day but realized it would never be enough so she "worked at it" every day as well as she could.

The employee wasn't a manager and shouldn't be expected to manage all the company's department manager expectations. Her boss should have been doing that; the problem with this former CIO worked in a remote office and wasn't paying attention to the needs of the business.

The lesson here is that you need to be careful about what others say about one of your new employees. It may be right on target or it may be misunderstood.

When the responsibility was adjusted to match the capability, this employee flourished and users responded accordingly plus the CEO made it a point to mention the "turnaround in attitude" several times.

It would have been very easy to fire her early on but the additional due diligence paid off for us all. 

Until next time, I hope the little bit of information provided in this newsletter is helpful to you. Feel free to pass it along to other IT managers you know. Stay focused and enjoy your time right now.

                                            Mike Sisco