Mike Sisco's Practical IT Manager Tips Newsletter


	Hello and welcome to this week's Practical IT Manager Tips Newsletter


	The next IT Manager Institute January 24-28, 2005 Nashville, TN. 20% discount when registered by 11/30/2004 CLICK HERE


	This week's article Model 63: Escalation Building in escalation processes helps your organization be more responsive and head off trouble. Take advantage of this model from the IT Management Models ebook released in June of this year.


	Don't miss out on the early registration discount. Lacking budget funds until next year? Contact me and I'll help you out. mike@mde.net 931-490-6932


	Read the article below.


	MDE NEWS Register for the January IT Manager Institute and save 20% "Mike Sisco hit this one out of the park. The Institute is a must attend course for IT managers serious about improving their organization and company." Joey Smith - Atlanta, GA "The IT Manager Institute was the most valuable week of training I have received in my 25 year career in technology. I received enough content in the first half day to justify the entire week. I now have the tools to make our IT organization world class." Sandy Hughes - Knoxville, TN "Right on the money for what I needed. My only regret is not having this training earlier in my career." Bill Smith - Ontario, Canada Register by November 30, 2004 and save 20%. Click here to learn more. Mike Sisco presents webinar session to the PEiR Group The IT-Business alignment "disconnect" issue is prevalent in every industry today. This topic was addressed with the PEiR Group (Profit and Education in Repographics), a trade association made up of independent repographers and repographic vendors. My presentation topic, IT-Business Alignment Dis~connect: How to recognize it and what to do about it, explained why these disconnects exist and how to avoid or address the problem in your company. MDE to present to Nigerian banking industry The Nigerian banking industry is poised for consolidation. I recently agreed to develop a CD presentation that will be delivered to CIO's, banking executives, and consultants of the industry in December. The topic: Objectives of an IT Due Diligence. The CD presentation will be delivered to the group and I'll be sitting in on a 30-minute Q&A session at the end of the presentation. An IT Due Diligence CD package that includes the presentation, my two books on IT Due Diligence and IT Assimilation, plus the tools I developed to help me manage many due diligence and transition projects is being developed and will be given to each participant. Cutter Consortium to publish articles from Mike Sisco Two articles were recently written for Cutter Consortium and will be published in their Executive Update format. The titles: - IT Assessment: the first step in achieving IT success - IT Due Diligence Overview Soon, an Executive Report (their much larger version at 10,000 words or more) will be published that discusses MDE's proprietary IT Due Diligence Process.


	www.mde.net/institute


	Special offer IT Management Models - 50% off through November 30 The most unique and fun approach to learn about managing technology resources is without a doubt, IT Management Models. Not only is this approach easy to learn about managing IT resources effectively, the models are great tools to use to help others understand and appreciate difficult issues, , ,and reduce the stress that can be involved in discussing many issues. There are two ebooks in this set. The larger reference guide includes the details and plenty of insight into each of the 72 models that were created specifically for IT managers. The Summary Guids is a small 5"x7" document, perfect for carrying around with you. Both are provided in Adobe PDF ebook format to take advantage of color, allow you to put them on your PC or print a copy to carry around with you. I have used many of these models for years, and I can tell you that they are very helpful and useful in managing day to day situations in any technology organization. Hundreds of these books were sold when I announced them in June. For a brief period, you can get both ebooks for half price. For more information, go to www.mde.net/models, but come back to this page to order to receive your 50% discount.

Model 63 - Escalation (taken from the IT Management Models ebook)
Description:
Escalation steps should take place automatically for certain circumstances. Develop processes and teach your IT staff how and when issues should be escalated and to whom the escalation needs to go.

Every type of business has circumstances that justify escalation to higher level managers. Establish your IT escalation procedures to protect the business and to help your team be successful.

Key points:

Define escalation procedures: What, when, and to whom

Build escalation procedures that help your team succeed

Escalation procedures protect the business

Coach your team so they are "automatic"

Category:
IT Assessment
IT Strategy & Planning
x IT Project Management and Processes
x IT Organization and Staff
IT Financial Management
IT Measurements and Communication

Description:
There are times when issues need to be escalated to more experienced people in your organization. Sometimes, the information may need to be escalated to senior management outside of your organization. It is important to establish clear escalation procedures in your organization so critical business issues get the proper amount of attention at the earliest possible moment.

Escalating when appropriate should be automatic and simply part of the process of supporting the technology.

Define escalation procedures: What, when, and to whom - When defining the escalation procedures you need in your IT operation, you must be specific as to what requires an escalation act. Define clearly to whom the escalated message should go to or what does one do in the escalation procedure. You also should define when an issue gets escalated. In my IT operations, I will set up escalation procedures for all types of business situations when I believe it will improve our support operation. In a few cases, I want to be notified immediately so I can be sure we are looking at the problem with a management perspective as well as a technical one.

Build escalation procedures that help your team succeed - Escalation procedures can help your team be more successful because they position the team to be more responsive to problem issues that can occur. Getting stronger skills on a "down system" issue quickly in order to minimize the downtime you might incur is a positive thing for all involved.

Escalation procedures protect the business - Protecting the business is our job when it comes to managing technology. Responding quickly and if necessary with an "all hands on deck" response to a critical issue is appropriate when we are talking about mitigating business continuity risk.

Coach your team so they are "automatic" - You want your escalation procedures to take place automatically. Coach employees, inspect the process with simulated drills, and do what is necessary to get them handling escalation steps automatically; you will be glad you did when they have to escalate an issue.


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	Our mission at MDE Enterprises: Provide practical management insight and tools that help IT Managers of the world achieve more. MDE resource links: Click here IT Manager Education IT Manager Books and Tools Newsletter archive IT Consulting Other resource links IT Manager Institute IT Management Models NEW We appreciate your support and the ability it gives us in providing services to assist IT Managers. MDE books and tools have sold in 76 countries and are widely acclaimed as some of the most practical and useful resources in helping people manage technology resources more effectively. Best of success. Mike Sisco MDE Enterprises 3300 Stillcorn Ridge Road Columbia, TN 38401 mike@mde.net 931-490-6932 Invest in your IT Manager to achieve more ! www.mde.net Help us reach IT Managers throughout the world by sharing this free newsletter. To subscribe, go to: http://lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs.aspx?customerid=22846 Your information is never shared and you may opt out at any time.


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