Management & IT Project Management
Introduction
Important information, widely distributed by
new technology, has radically altered the
balance of power among institutions,
governments, and people.
Power bases dependent on information
are being built, transformed, and destroyed
as critical information flows around the
globe with little or no restriction.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Introduction
Information technology has altered the way
many people do their jobs, and has changed
the nature of work in industrialised societies.
In these nations information technology
has brought change to nearly everyone.
To succeed in such rapidly changing
environments, managers must be prepared
to adopt new practices and techniques.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Introduction
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Management practice has been greatly affected.
“New technology “ has become a major part of
formal education, and is now essential for
employment and career success.
The rapid pace of IT innovation has created
growth in job opportunities for skilled IT
managers.
Senior executives who can manage complex IT
tasks are in great demand.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
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Management & IT Project Management
Information and Organisations
The creative combination of skilled people and
advanced information technology has revolutionised
the concept of management. High performance
organisations employ empowered, motivated workers
using well-developed information systems to:
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Attain or exceed challenging goals,
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Satisfy or expand established markets,
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Develop important new markets, and
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Create superb value for owners, employees,
and customers.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Information, Employees & Authority
The need for more information to work in today’s
increasingly knowledge-based work environment
generates an increased responsibility and demands
a greater intellectual effort from employees.
Where information is shared and used collectively,
an increased joint responsibility for, and ownership
of organisational success develops among
employees.
However, these conditions may conflict with the
traditional basis of authority within the organisation.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Information Technology Organisations
The IT organisation within a business will generally
have a number of departments with specific
responsibilities, that report through departmental
managers to the senior IT manager.
Traditionally, the senior IT manager reported to the
finance executive. However, an emerging alternative
is to have a senior IT executive (often entitled Chief
Information Officer or CIO) who is responsible for
IT functions across the business.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Information Technology Organisations
An organisation’s culture and industry/environment are
key factors that govern the activities and responsibilities of
the IT function.
Where there is a heavy dependence upon information
technology, the IT technical support role will (generally) be
broad and comprehensive. Where there is less dependence,
developers and other technical specialists may also have to
provide technical support.
Structures vary with corporate and departmental needs,
and evolve as the organisation adopts new technology or
reengineers to improve operations.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Definitions - 1
Information Technology - the organisations
computing and communication structure,
including computer systems,
telecommunications network, and multimedia
hardware and software.
Information Management - the business
related data and telecommunications
standards and operations of an organisation.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Definitions - 2
Information Resource Management activities associated with investing in and
managing the people, technology and
data, and establishing policy regarding the
use of these organisational assets.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Definitions - 3
Information Technology Management is the task of managing the infrastructure,
standards and operations, of making
technology related investments, and
recommending appropriate corporate
policy.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
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Management & IT Project Management
IT Management Challenges - 1
Many IT managers find themselves , and their
organisations in very difficult positions.
They spend large amounts of money implementing
new technologies that promise high potential value
to the organisation, but are also high risk.
They support clients who request increased
services, while senior executives, observing slow
(or no) progress in improving productivity,
challenge increasing expense levels.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
IT Management Challenges - 2
Poor performance and the lack of success
negatively impacts the careers of IT
managers who fail to successful manage
rapid technological change. For example,
unmanaged demand for services can lead
to expanding work backlogs.
As expectations for IT rises in an
organisation, senior IT managers may
struggle to meet growing challenges.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
IT Management Challenges - 3
IT managers with strong technical background, but
lacking general management experience skills will be
challenged when they and their IT organisation are
scrutinised for productivity and resource consumption.
They also require skills in people Management &
appreciation of organisational issues.
Furthermore, many organisations face mergers,
acquisitions, and reorganisations that will threaten
both the existing organisational structure, and
individuals position within that structure.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
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Management & IT Project Management
Information Management Superiority
Paul Strassman presents a model of
Information Management Superiority that
is based upon the idea that IT management
only has value within the context of
business management. He states that “the
benefits of investments in information
technology can be assessed only as seen
from the standpoint of a business plan”.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
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Management & IT Project Management
Information Management Superiority
Strassman’s model of Information Management
Superiority has five reinforcing and interacting
ideas:
A: Governance
B: Business Plan Alignment
C: Process Improvement
D: Resource Optimisation
E: Operating Excellence
CDU – School of Information Technology
More in later
lectures
HIT241
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Management & IT Project Management
Governance
Governance - or information politics - is
used to both exercise authority, and also as
a way of achieving consensus.
It guides how individuals and groups cooperate to achieve business objectives.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Governance
Governance is particularly important in
mature IT organisations as the managers:
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Concentrate on the rules governing
technology dispersal,
Establish policies regarding distributed
computing, Internet activities, portable
computing , wireless networks etc.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Governance
Governance, especially the policy making
associated with establishing authority for
technology acquisition and deployment, is now
more critical to organisations than owning and
operating large computer systems.
Good governance requires IT executives to
concentrate on the larger, more important policy
issues associated with achieving business
success. For example - the issue of globalisation
and information technology.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Globalisation
The extension and transfer of many operations
internationally to areas of plentiful and inexpensive
labour has led to projects entailing a mix of:
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Investment,
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Infrastructure,
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Establishment of new facilities,
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Transportation, and
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Training for an inexperienced workforce.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Globalisation
However, special problems have to be
overcome in transitory or developing
economies. For example
1.
Some countries - especially since the
Asian economic crisis - have economies
that are now unstable or sluggish. These
transitory economies have not developed
as expected.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›
Management & IT Project Management
Globalisation
2.
With an increasing trend towards
globalisation, organisations operating in
environments where there is government
favouritism, protection or, in extreme cases,
nepotism, may find themselves suddenly “left
out in the cold” and stripped of favoured
status.
It is therefore an issue of governance, in particular
policy development, that organisations must
undertake when operating in a global environment.
CDU – School of Information Technology
HIT241
PM & IT Organisations - Slide ‹#›