Unleashing the Power of IT

Foreword ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
CHAPTER 1 Creating Your Twenty-First Century Workforce and Culture 1
Core Skills for Success 3
A Consistent Terminology 4
Who Will Benefit Most 5
Leveraging This Book 6
CHAPTER 2 Transforming Your IT Team 9
How to Make This Transition: Learn to Think Differently 13
Five Critical Success Factors that Enable IT Organizational Excellence 19
Conclusion: High-Performance Reality 28
CHAPTER 3 Building a Client-Focused IT Culture 31
What Good Service Looks Like 33
Service Skills and Mindsets 38
Strategies for Developing a Service Mentality 46
Conclusion 51
CHAPTER 4 Evolving into the Role of Consultant 55
What Exactly Is a Consultant's Role, Anyway? 58
Why Do I Need to Become More Consultative? 60
Learning to Change Hats: The Four Roles of IT 62
So, How Do I Become a Consultant? 64
How Difficult Can This Be? 72
Conclusion 74
CHAPTER 5 Negotiating: Getting What You Want without Damaging the Relationship 77
Position versus Interest Negotiations 79
Three Key Factors; Three-Step Process 82
Applying the Key Factors to the Second Step: Information Exchange 89
The Final Step: Now Comes the Bargaining 91
Conclusion: Effective Negotiators Are Made, Not Born 92
Notes 94
CHAPTER 6 Managing Projects: The Science and the Art 97
The Building Blocks of Project Management 100
Structuring Projects for Success 104
Developing Plans that Work 105
Managing to Successful Completion 108
The Four Tenets of the Project Manager's Mindset 112
Conclusion: Thinking like a Project Manager 118
CHAPTER 7 Changing Your Requirements-Gathering Mindset 121
The What, Not the How 124
The Importance of the Interview 127
Communicating through Pictures 131
Writing a Solid Requirements Document 134
Conclusion 136
CHAPTER 8 Sharpening Your Political Savvy 139
Picturing Yourself as a Political Player 141
IT and Politics: Historically Strange Bedfellows 142
A Five-Step Process for Developing Political Awareness 145
Developing Political Skills 150
Conclusion 156
CHAPTER 9 Marketing IT's Value 159
Marketing to the IT Department 162
Build Partnerships 165
Differentiate Yourself 166
Establish Credibility 168
Create Product and Service Awareness 169
Develop a Formal Plan 172
Determining Success 172
Conclusion 174
CHAPTER 10 Managing the Vendor Relationship 177
Both Sides of the Coin 178
Preparing for a New Role 180
Getting a Fresh Start 182
Seven Phases of Managing Vendor Partnerships 185
Conclusion 200
CHAPTER 11 Driving Change with Intent 203
Defining Terms 205
The Components of Change 205
Achieving Commitment Is Essential for Sustaining Change 206
Change Takes a Community 211
Clarity Precedes Activity 214
Messaging the Change 217
Conclusion 220
CHAPTER 12 Putting the Book into Action: Stories from the Trenches 223
A Newly Consultative IT Function Helps Drive St. Luke's Health System Transformation 224
At Marriott, a Transformed IT-Business Relationship Is the Underpinning for Hospitality Giant's Success 231
At Bowdoin College, Trust in IT Created a Culture of Change within a Haven of Liberal Arts 236
Conclusion 242
A Call to Action: Create Your Road Map for IT Transformation 243
Bibliography 245
About the Contributors 253
About O&A 257
Index 259