November is my favorite month of the year. And why wouldn’t it be? The craziness of the holiday season hasn’t 100% kicked in, we spend time being very thankful, and football is in full swing!
‘Tis also the season for companies to begin their strategic planning for 2018. For me, I enjoy the activity, excitement, and optimism that comes along with planning for a new year.
During this season, I also spend a lot of time with business owners and managers. Our goal is to figure out what they can do to improve the performance of Information Technology (IT) in their business.
These conversations almost always stem from three separate situations:
1. Expanding the Scope of What They Need from IT
When companies are seeking out a new IT provider, they frequently send requests for pricing to multiple IT firms. Sometimes the range of services and pricing vary significantly, making it difficult to pick a provider.
2. Defining What “IT Service” Is
Department executives want to get better results from their current IT situation. After consulting with multiple authorities on the subject, they find themselves learning so much that the opportunities are more significant than they thought. But, the implementation requires more planning than initially thought.
3. Figuring Out What Should Be Expected from the IT Employee
Business owners ask opinions of their peers and consultants regarding the performance of an IT employee and find that their expectations are unrealistic.
All of these situations can leave leaders feeling stuck. But the great news about these three situations is that the issues have presented themselves in November. There’s plenty of time to get a plan together that works for each type of opportunity, and implement it in the New Year!
Have a great December,
Marty
