IT Management Excellence

Introduction:

Managing an IT function is very different from developing or supporting technical IT solutions. General management skills are helpful to the IT manager, but results from this course demonstrate that a management course designed specifically for the IT professional is invaluable.

Five key modules are covering IT strategy, project excellence, communicating technology, operational and crisis management, and commercial acumen. These are the 5 management skills that have been identified as consistently enabling business results and career success for all IT managers

Targeted Groups:

• IT Managers
• IT Team Leaders
• Project Managers
• Systems Architects
• Head of IT Department

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Develop an effective IT strategy
• Increase project delivery rates and manage a portfolio of projects
• Improve operational efficiency using different operational models
• Lead effectively in a technical crisis
• Create effective sourcing plans
• Set clear IT contract objectives
• Negotiate technical agreements effectively

Targeted Competencies:

• Business and IT strategy
• Project, program and portfolio management
• Advanced communication and presentation skills
• IT operational excellence
• Planning and managing a crisis event

Course Content:

Unit 1: Business Strategy:

• What is strategy?
• Solving the problems of business strategy
• Leading approaches to creating top-level strategy
• Setting corporate direction

Unit 2: IT Strategy:

• A proven process for IT strategy
• Aligning IT strategy to business priorities
• Balanced scorecard IT objectives
• Enterprise architecture in IT strategy
• Looking for a better way — optimizing IT strategy
• Strategic plans — plot on a page
• Communicating strategy

Unit 3: Project Excellence:

• Advanced project, program and portfolio management
• Validating project business cases using investment appraisals and sensitivity analysis
• IT project management wisdom — lessons learned from successful and failed projects
• Effective project governance and reporting
• Project portfolio management guidelines
• The first 90 days
• Making an impact — the first 90 days
• Strategic importance and tactical urgency
• Business change leadership
• The emotional cycle of business change
• Guidelines for successful change projects
• IT's unique role in business change management

Unit 4: Communicating Technology:

• Communication skills
• The art of communicating technology
• Presenting IT to non-technical audiences
• Creating a compelling technology message — IT’s elevator pitch
• Handling difficult (IT) situations — forum theatre and role play

Unit 5: Business Relationship Management:

• Business relationship scenarios
• The POSTMAN technique for identifying priority business requirements
• The advanced use of questioning strategies – opening and closing dialogue
• Methods of influencing outcomes

Unit 6: Operational and Crisis Management:

• Continual Service Improvement (CSI) models
• Overview of different frameworks, including ITIL, Six Sigma and Lean IT
• Techniques of root cause analysis
• CSI examples and guidelines
• Crisis leadership
• Preparing for major (technology) incidents
• Managing major incidents
• Leading in crisis — the art of communication

Unit 7: Commercial Acumen:

• Vendors
• Making good decisions
• Avoiding supplier pitfalls
• Choosing good technology partners
• Creating a culture of partnership
• Harnessing vendor innovation

Unit 8: Essentials of IT Contracts:

• Contract guidelines for successful IT
• Getting what you want from your legal team
• Designing contract flexibility
• Managing IT contract portfolios

Unit 9: IT Negotiation Strategy:

• Creating a negotiation strategy
• Rational supporting arguments
• Agreeing final positions and BATNA
• Negotiating as a team
• Delivering better-negotiated outcomes