The Director’s Cut: 10 smart ways to make an IT department an asset – not a cost

The Director’s Cut: 10 smart ways to make an IT department an asset – not a cost David Taylor, in an exclusive extract from his latest book, explains how to become your organisation’s supplier of choice… As IT leaders and teams we all seek to become our organisation’s supplier of choice. That means our business partners choose to use us, rather than feeling they have to.

Making this change in perception is critical to being seen as an asset and investment, rather than a cost and a liability.

Here’s my top 10 ways to achieve this:

1. Your mission is their mission

Save a fortune on yellow post-its and wasted effort. As an IT department, your vision is your company's vision. If the overall corporate goal is to be the number one car rental company, that must be your team's goal as well.

2. Hidden account management (sometimes known as man-marking)

Put simply, identify the key decision-makers in your organisation and allocate one of your people to each person. Your person's role is to ensure their allocated decision-maker catches IT doing something right, on a consistent basis. This is the single most powerful method in transforming perception.

3. The language you use

IT has become riddled with jargon, so much so that attending some meetings with IT people is like taking a crash course in Double-Dutch. It’s time to speak with plain business English in all that you do. If you have anyone who can't do this, keep them out of the way, preferably in a locked room. Clear, concise, compelling meanings, all day, every day.

4. Deliver, deliver and deliver

Prioritise all major projects (everything cannot be a number one priority). Make sure that the benefits that people say will be delivered actually are, by ensuring a business leader takes responsibility for their delivery. Be specific, get a real figure and record it.

5. Leadership of change

As an IT team, you are best placed in any organisation to facilitate successful change inside your organisation. This does not mean that you should take control of change. It means that you must place yourself at the heart of the process. Ensure that change happens effectively, by bringing all relevant people, teams and departments together. This also places you at the heart of your business, where you must be.

6. Take ownership of your web activities and prove your worth

Keep your website clear, simple and uncluttered. Also, install the latest customer prediction management systems, enabling you to predict what your customers will do next. Watch out though, your marketing director will think you are after his or her job. (Which is clearly not true, because you will already have it.)

7. Introduce project leadership

One of the hottest topics around. Forget traditional, and boring project management. Put your projects in the hands of inspiring communicators who are action-driven and who keep their heads while all around are losing theirs. And learn lessons from those projects that don’t go to plan as well as those that do.

8. Talk yourselves up (internal)

Celebrate successes, enjoy what you are doing. Change the culture and encourage the individuality of your people within the framework of the team. If you don't think you are delivering outstanding results, no-one else will.

9. Location

Are you still behind three armour-plated doors that would not look out of place in a jeweller’s shop? If you are, get out fast! IT Suppliers of Choice are located close to other departments in an organisation.

10. Recruit people from outside the IT Industry

Recruit people with a broad range of skills. More IT leaders are being recruited and promoted from non-technical backgrounds and as communication and relationship building are two of the top skills for IT departments who are suppliers of choice, such ‘soft’ (read ‘critical’) skills are much needed.

David Taylor’s The Naked Leader Experience is published on 1 April 2004. More details are available at www.nakedleader.com