Chapter 13 Information Systems Organizations and Personnel Considerations

Chapter 13 Information Systems Organizations and Personnel Considerations

Information Systems Organizations IS Vice-President End-User Computing Finance & Administration Planning Systems Support Development & Maintenance Project Managers Database Administration Computer Operations Systems Programming Systems Analysts Programmers Development Center Information Center Network Management

Example: Texas Tech University CIO Council CIO Technology Planning & Policy Technology Services Help Desk Data Operations President Telecom Customer Services Information Services Technology Assessment & Support Information Systems Information Management

Building Good Working Relationships o Communication is key o Senior Management & IS Executive o Formal o Informal o Create an “IT Culture”

Building Good Working Relationships Environment Corporate Strategy IT Strategy Corporate Structure IT Structure

Interaction & Understanding o Executives o Functional Managers o Actual System Users

IS Steering Committee COO IS VP CEO Sr. VP of Merchandising

IS Steering Committee o Review status of IS projects o Determine the level of support o Discussion of new technologies o Establish criteria for IS investment

Functional Resources o Functional Interface Managers o Functional End-User Coordinator

Service Level Agreement o Response Time o Availability Percentage

User Training and Education o E-Learning o Smart Force Curriculum o Hands on Training

Application and Technical Consultation o Things will go wrong o Knowledgeable Assistance

Joint R&D Projects o Innovative o Proactive o Adequate Staffing

The Working and Personal Posture of the IS Manager o Sell the IS Unit o Maintain relationships o Support Business Strategies

Who is the IT Workforce? o Geographically Separate o Operationally Separate o Migrant Mentality o Looser Culture

CIO o Chief Information Officer is the information technology conscience of the company o Means “Career Is Over” said Business Week o Migrant worker mentality o CIO Magazine states that, “the economic recovery in the U. S. appears far off, and CIOs need to be in position to retain hard-to-find skills”

CIO Requirements Needs to have an understanding of o The industry o The business o The organization o They must understand IT but project an image of a business oriented person o Project the long-term implications of any major new technology and put into a logical organization framework

CIO Skills Profile o Manufacturing industry experience o Management experience o General technical qualifications o Specific vendor experience o Political, organizational, and communication skills

How Difficult Is The CIO Job o The largest staff function that provides both products and services o It interfaces with numerous if not all functional groups within the organization o It is a dual personality job n n Business Executive Technology Leader

To Whom Should The CIO Report o Often reports to the Chief Financial Officer o Should report to the executive who has day-to-day responsibility to run the entire business o The Chief Executive Officer

Journal of Strategic Information Systems o Is the CEO supportive of the CIO and IT initiatives? o CEO beliefs about IT and its importance to the business takes a major role

Four Dimensions of The Framework CEO CIO Business Management IT Management

Questionnaire o CEO & CIO background information o Personal preferences (beliefs and values) o Views on IT in general o How IT is managed o Questions about the role and function of IT, the role of CIO, and the relationship between the CEO and CIO

Overall Assessment o IT is not getting either business commitment or involvement o IT is not seen as central to the business o IT organization sees itself as a true “value adder”

Other Opinions o CIO Magazine said that, “IT is still viewed as a cost center and not a value center for the most part” o CIO Information Network (CIN) said that, “CFOs often looked at IT spending as a weighty cost to the company viewing IT now as as a “value center” capable of driving corporate revenues and profits o Disagreement across the cases as to whether or not IT is an expense to be managed

CEO & CIO Relationship o The Journal of Strategic IS states that the CEO is supportive of both the IT director and the IT initiatives o The vision and commitment of the CEO is not communicated by him either on the business management team or IT management o The CIO is not part of the “inner sanctum” and very often reporting to the CFO

CIO’s Competitive Advantage o Training and Certifications o CIO. com stated that there exists a 62% skills crisis in 278 companies researched o Enough job applicants, but not the right skills

Networking CIO Certifications o Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) o Identifies internetworking experts in routing and switching, wide-area network switching, and integration and design o Fewer than 3, 000 of these certified professionals in North America o Demand in the optical and networking space o According to Tm. CPmag. com CCIE certificate holders earn an average base income of $115, 400 - a $45, 500 jump

Other Certifications on CIO. COM o Senior Java Certification o Oracle Certified Professional o MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer) o MCP(Microsoft Certified Professional) o MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer)

CIO Benefits o Computerworld. com showed that certifications require a few years of experience in addition to training o CIOs can expect a 10% to 20% boost in salary with these certifications o Salary range is $117, 250 - $184, 000 According to HR magazine

Conclusion o IS is a critical organizational function o IS adds value o Role of CIO and IS relationships