Managing complexity is likely the single most daunting responsibility of Information Technology managers.  Without diligent design, planning, and oversight, the proliferation of server hardware, platforms, laptops, workstations, desktop operating systems, personal productivity software, office suites, data networks, voice networks, storage area networks, network attached storage, robotic backup libraries, administration tools, system monitoring, custom applications, messaging systems, wiring closets, data centers, firewalls, spam filters, antivirus, anti-malware, wikis, blogs, help desks, mobile devices, data warehouses, business intelligence, CRM, ERP, SaaS, web services, portals, intranets, extranets, racks, copper, fiber, whatever else the trade magazines tout as being the next big thing, and every other esoteric component that makes its way into the enterprise will create an impossibly complex mess of technology that requires every ounce of fortitude to manage effectively.

Woe is the IT manager.  The businesses that IT organizations support most likely do not understand the enormity of the undertaking that has become IT management; unfortunately for the besieged IT manager, they don’t have to and shouldn’t have to understand.  Businesses need to know what they will get in return for their IT investment dollar, and they need to have faith that IT will continuously deliver increasingly complex and difficult services to meet the increasingly complex and difficult business requirements that emerge in a rapidly globalizing marketplace.  This is the reality of the situation, and because there is little sympathy for IT managers that have to deal with this on a daily basis, there is but one course of action that can be taken to address the situation – reduce the complexity that hangs like an albatross around the neck of the Information Technology function by simplifying and standardizing how IT operates.

It is understood that there are times when the role of IT management requires a degree of heroics; even the most well-oiled of IT departments experience emergencies from time to time.  One of the fundamental problems that has led to the current state of pervasive complexity in Information Technology is the tendency of IT workers to view themselves as firefighters and puzzle-solvers, always on the ready for whatever catastrophe or hair-on-fire business requirement comes their way.  While this mindset may have been an asset in the pioneering days of Information Technology as an organizational function, it lends itself to a short view of a world where the reality is that one not only has to see the proverbial “forest for the trees,” but has to see beyond the forest and understand how decisions and actions impact far beyond the walls of the organization.  Every new component or entity introduced to an IT ecosystem necessarily increases the complexity of the environment; when the current state of affairs requires less complexity in the environment, every action that potentially impacts such complexity needs to be well planned and executed, and optimally is driven by a strategic framework that is developed with the specific goal of managing and reducing complexity at its core.  Organizations that do not mature beyond a state of heroics and short-term solutions will never reach the level of forward and holistic thinking required to successfully conquer complexity.

This entry first appeared in The Mikan Group Blog on October 18, 2007. It is being published on SaaSkatoon in an effort to archive selected content acquired by Delivered Innovation in 2008.

As the world continues to flatten, and as business and technology grow more complex with each new day, the greatest challenge for many companies is to rapidly and continuously adapt to meet the demands of the competitive environment.  While the pace and scope of change is unprecedented in human history, the solution for staying ahead of the curve is the same as it has always been: Effective management.

While the principles of effective management are relatively boring when compared with leading-edge technologies or business strategies, the simple truth is that without a strong foundation of effective management, no technology or strategy in the world has a chance to gain a sustainable foothold in the enterprise.  The latest and greatest servers and software may give the IT department bragging rights amongst its peers in the short term, but only when such technologies are seamlessly integrated and utilized to drive business results do they provide significant value over the long haul.  The same can be said about business books; how many times has a book generated huge amounts of buzz only to end up in the bargain bin because its concepts could not be successfully integrated into corporate strategies and cultures?

The time has come to embrace management as a discipline, and not a secondary functional skill.  The scope of professional management extends far beyond the supervising of any specific team or function, as effective management requires vision and understanding outside not only the walls of a given functional silo or business unit, but beyond the walls of the company.  Professional managers need to be able to see the entire picture on an end-to-end basis, and understand how all of the parts work together to add value at each stage of a process.

The tendency to promote high performing functional contributors to management roles tends to be misguided, as functional expertise is in most cases mutually exclusive to management acumen.  Functional awareness is of course relevant, with the degree of relevance proportional to the depth of an organizational chart in a traditional vertically-driven enterprise, but ineffective management at any level of an organization negates functional competency.  Whether an individual manages projects, a team of people, or a specific business or technology function, the core focus on management effectiveness does not change; what is managed is of less significance than how it is managed.

This entry first appeared in The Mikan Group Blog on October 5, 2007. It is being published on SaaSkatoon in an effort to archive selected content acquired by Delivered Innovation in 2008.