Originating in the early days of information technology (IT), IT methodology has always acted as the “rope” in the tug of war between unstructured chaos and structured discipline. On the one side, the IT resources with their ongoing want to explore the newest technical alternatives and seeking the free range to develop without boundaries. On the other side, the business owner’s seeking to obtain value from their IT resources and the users of products/applications wishing to obtain the business functionality they require to deliver products and services to their clients.
Somewhere in the middle a number of IT methodologies and lifecycles (i.e. project management, software development, software testing) have evolved aiming to provide organizations with a set of tools they can rely on to consistently deliver products and projects on time and within budget. Applicable for all (small, mid-sized, and large) organizations, an IT methodology can have a beneficial and far reaching effect for multiple audiences across any organization. These audiences will be broken up into three separate posts...so we will start off with the first one:
IT Methodology - Organizational Audiences
This audience traditionally views a methodology as a process that can be leveraged to ensure consistency in the timeliness, quality and costs of delivering and supporting IT applications. As a process, a methodology also affords this audience the structure, repeatability and environment to effectively apply governance and continuous process improvement throughout their organization.
Senior/Executive Management
Senior Management is responsible for developing and administering the strategic direction of the
organization. With regard to IT efficiency, Senior Management are searching for ways to improve the bottom line and make decisions on everything from IT budget to IT tool suite selection to outsourcing of IT functions. From this perspective, Senior Management understands that an IT methodology is a tool that can be leveraged to increase the efficiency of IT, establish a common process for developing and maintaining applications, and ensuring a degree of quality is being built into every product and application. Senior Management are more interested in achieving greater efficiency and delivering value than knowing the technicalities and dynamics of a methodology – they seek greater consistency, efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Line Management (Business)
Business Managers are responsible for the delivery of products and services to the user
community (internal and external). From this perspective, Business Managers recognize their ability to deliver products and service is dependent on the viability, reliability and applicability of the applications/systems to be used by their staff. Business Managers recognize the importance of having their staff contribute to the development and maintenance of their applications and view an IT methodology as a mechanism their staff can utilize to ensure the business requirements are defined and communicated to IT project development or maintenance teams. Within some organizations, the Business Managers are responsible for authorizing and oversight of the IT Budget – in the majority of these organizations the Business Managers are insistent that an IT methodology be utilized for all IT development and maintenance work.
Line Management (Information Technology)
IT Managers are responsible for the delivery and support of applications/systems that contribute
to the operational performance of the organization and its ability to deliver products and services. IT Managers monitor the technical architectures, tool suites, software products to ensure IT staff are positioned to deliver products, services and support to the business side of the house. The IT methodology affords IT Management the reassurance of predictability – they can be confident the methodology will provide project and maintenance teams the mechanism to consistently deliver quality applications on time and within budget. Applying a common IT methodology also provides IT Management with the flexibility to manage and re-direct their staff across multiple organizational IT priorities.
Stay tuned for the next two!
Cameron Watson
Cameron Watson is the President of QAIassist. QAIassist helps
organizations increase and optimze their IT delivery and support
efficiency. QAIassist's Integrated Methodology incorporates the
disciplines and deliverables required for organizations to consistently
deliver quality applications on time and within budget.