Template/Policy

The IT new hire business case will help you to make a more informed hiring decision.

Note

Writing IT job descriptions can be time consuming and frustrating. Make the job easier with this list of sample IT job descriptions.

Tool

Reducing headcount is a mentally and emotionally challenging task under any circumstance. Use this tool to take a systematic, skills-focused approach to making staff reduction decisions.

Tool

The majority of IT departments spend 66% of their time performing operational activity and 34% of their time on strategic activity. Shifting more focus to strategic activity can build competitive advantage, enable innovation, and increase key...

Note

IT departments that achieve their ideal mix of operational and strategic activity can advance their standing as a strategic partner in the organization. It's a matter of making IT run better so resources can be shifted to innovative and high...

Tool

A customer-oriented IT department reduces department costs, improves the quality of deliverables, and boosts the efficiency of the IT workforce. There are six core competencies that are essential to service orientation in IT. Facilitate these...

Note

A customer-oriented IT department reduces department costs, improves the quality of deliverables, and boosts the efficiency of the IT workforce. This storyboard helps you assess the level of customer service orientation in your IT department,...

Tool

IT leaders considering an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation should use this readiness assessment tool to determine whether or not the enterprise is sufficiently prepared for ERP.

Tool

Use this tool to map employees to the roles they perform. Estimate the number of employees needed to meet present or future workloads and identify where the organization is experiencing a staffing shortfall.

Template/Policy

Regular and formal performance reviews are critical to maintaining overall productivity of your staff. Every organization has a unique method of administering performance appraisals, but many are based on a few simple templates. A commonly used...

Video

360-degree feedback can be an important tool for managers to contribute to an employee's performance appraisal. When used inappropriately, it can also dilute an employee's actual performance.

Note

Building a steady and reliable IT staffing contingent is getting harder. Learn how to mitigate opportunity and productivity risks associated with talent gaps by applying succession development best practices.

Video

Many IT leaders make costly mistakes in their succession development practice, and as a result, their succession development plans fail or even backfire. Watch this video to identify these mistakes and learn to avoid them.

Tool

Use this tool to assess the risk of individuals leaving and identify appropriate succession candidates. With the results of this tool, you'll get your succession development planning well under way.

New IT leaders will have little influence unless they build credibility with senior business officers. Become a dynamic force that motivates and coordinates the accomplishment of strategic goals by earning the trust of business leaders.

Solution Set

Staffing costs comprise the biggest piece of the IT budget. To really cut costs, staff must be a target, but cutting staff is painful and hard to do objectively.

When IT cost reductions are required, many organizations avoid cutting staff. Read this Info-Tech case study to learn about the effort it takes to not touch headcount when cutting IT costs in the supply chain management industry.

Leaders in unionized IT shops have limited options when it comes to making mandated staff reductions. Read this Info-Tech case study to understand the challenges and opportunities in this type of environment.

Video

The lean conditions created by the economic downturn will persist for years to come. While cutting IT staff is admittedly unpleasant, at the very least the process should be as objective as possible.

In staff downsizing, as with most things in life, being prepared is a key to success. Read this case study for a description of how one IT leader created an agile workforce in preparation for a layoff scenario.

Template/Policy

Terminating staff is a time of high stress for everyone involved. It's easy to make mistakes that open up the enterprise to risk. Don't take any chances. Use this checklist to ensure that an employee's departure is handled legally, ethically and...

Deciding who stays and who goes during downsizing is painful, but at least you get to decide who to keep. Or do you? Read this Info-Tech case study to find out how to prevent key staff from defecting after layoffs.

Many IT leaders experienced in staff downsizing say it's best to make cuts both early and deep to avoid prolonging employees' agony. This Info-Tech case study shows how one IT Director started to make mandated staffing cuts his first day on the job.

Note

New IT leaders are often met with political and skills-based challenges for which they aren't prepared. Follow Info-Tech's one-hundred day plan to kick-off your new IT leadership position. Not only will you start off on the right foot, but you...

(By Info-Tech Analyst Bushra Tobah - Printed with permission from Processor magazine www.processor.com). After months of preparation and round after round of grueling interviews, you've finally landed that IT leadership position. You know that...

(21-Dec-09) When businesses consider cutting costs in almost any area, often the first thing that comes to mind is outsourcing, particularly to overseas employees or consultants. It is understandable — especially in this economy — that companies...

It takes a new attitude and a specific set of skills to transition into an IT leadership role. That is why IT managers often get caught off guard when taking on new management positions. Learn to assess your leadership capabilities and fully...

The interview process is two-fold. Just as an organization is eager to find out what you are about, you must also be keen to understand the role and the organization. Leverage the interview process to be sure this is the job for you, and be sure...

Earning the respect of technical people takes strategy, especially when you're starting a new IT leadership position. Without credibility, it will be extremely difficult to influence your team and move the IT department forward. Follow...

IT leaders should generally stick to quick wins and avoid making deep-seated changes in their first 100 days. However, new leaders must also recognize when long-term change is needed. The real-world scenarios presented in this note provide new...