The quality of a company’s life depends on effective communication. Establishing good communication begins and ends with a company’s leaders, from the CEO to the IT managers, and should be one of their core objectives. Bad communication, or the lack of it, can cripple a company’s ability to move forward in achieving objectives and to keep pace with competition. IT managers need to build an environment where the truth is heard.

Establishing Upward Communication is the Focus

The reason upward communication needs to be focused on is because by virtue of the top establishing communication from the bottom up, they are establishing communication from the top down. And it can’t happen in the reverse. Staff are not in position to establish downward communication because that sort of management is not their role in the company. That said, let’s look at a few ways to build good upward communication.

1. Keep the Juices Flowing – Reverse the Gravity of Introversion

IT departments tend to attract introverted which inherently impedes communication, so to reverse that momentum there needs to be initiative taken to keep the communication juices flowing. If the juices are flowing then people develop trust, they learn how each other like to communicate, and it will make important or difficult communication significantly easier. Building relationships among staff can open people up to communicate more, and this can come in the form of making a point to talk to staff often, bringing in breakfast on Mondays, all staff going out to eat on Fridays, IRC–be creative.

2. Keep the Juices Flowing – Keep it Simple

Instead of having elaborate meetings and fancy reports, use email or instant messaging. More can be communicated and in a faster and more effective manner. Instead of using databases and spreadsheets, look into creating an in-house wiki page where how-to’s, reports, and other information can be posted. It will build a sense of identity, transparency, and camaraderie among staff, and is a very effective way to store and retrieve data. Using simple means of communication is a chief way to keep juices flowing and establish that level of communication managers need.
(more…)

We previously have covered several IT enemies: requirements creep, speed of business, and tech purists. One enemy that has not been addressed is the laissez-faire approach to project management. Any great project needs leadership, management, and lots and lots of work. These three roles must be wound tightly together to produce an unbreakable whole. The laissez-faire approach to these tasks often becomes the unwinding of IT projects, and even the departments themselves.
(more…)

A recurring idea in IT management discussions is that we need to lose the “IT” (“Information Technology”) in “IT Service Management.” Or maybe just the “T” or just the “I” — I’ve heard all variations. The argument goes something like this:

“The IT label is killing us! They think we’re a bunch of geeks that don’t understand The Business! They are outsourcing us! They don’t understand us! We’re just a cost center! We have to kill the IT label and then they will think we are a Strategic Partner!”

(more…)