Practical IT Research that Drives Measurable Results IT Leadership: Seize the First One Hundred Days 1Info-Tech Research Group

Introduction Info-Tech Research Group2 New IT leaders are often met with political and skills-based challenges for which they aren't prepared. Making premature changes during the early days of tenure in an IT leadership role can have lasting negative consequences for your career. Use this research to: Establish credibility with IT staff and business decision makers to create a strong foundation for the rest of your tenure. Set clear priorities to focus on the most important things from the start. Gain self-awareness to better leverage your strengths and opportunities.

First 30 Days: Get the Lay of the Land Meet the executive Conduct an assessment Identify quick wins Pinpoint long- term success factors Engage staff Days 30 to 60: Earn Credibility Get stakeholder support Breed staff loyalty Execute quick wins Establish metrics Days 60 to 100: Look Long-term Institute an executive committeeLaunch long-term changes Info-Tech Research Group3

4 The Executive sets IT priorities, so meet with the biggest revenue contributors first to discover their needs Come out of your meetings with a list of critical success factors for making a positive impression. Remember Ideally, you should book appointments with crucial stakeholders before your first day on the job so that you can meet with them on day one. Have frank conversations with executives to : Identify business pain points, leading pet peeves, and strategic direction. Pinpoint cultural or communication problems that are holding IT back. Build a level of personal trust that allows the IT leader leeway when mistakes happen.

Info-Tech Research Group5 Successful IT leaders start off as students of the company: they strive to assess what they have to work with. Conduct a thorough corporate check-up to understand the components and dynamics of your new environment Quickly gain a diagnosis of IT department ills using the research note, “Gauge Perceptions of Your New IT Department’s Health” and the “End-User IT Satisfaction Survey. ”Gauge Perceptions of Your New IT Department’s HealthEnd-User IT Satisfaction Survey

Talk to your staff to identify performance issues and establish expected patterns of behavior “It’s almost like a mother who is adopting children. You have to figure out the staff that you inherit. What’s coming with them? What baggage are they carrying because of what they’ve been through? You have to understand how to work with them and figure out if they can do the job.” -IT Director, Government Remember It’s essential to use the data collected from these answers to follow up on good suggestions, and make future decisions. Openly communicate these decisions back to the team. Successful IT leaders report sitting one on one with each staff member towards the end of the first thirty days. Starting points for discussion include: Tell me about what you do. Tell me about what you like/don’t like about your job. Tell me what you liked/didn’t like about my predecessor. Tell me what should be done that isn’t being done. Change your staff’s attitude towards providing service to the business using the research note, “Make an Early Mark by Launching a Service Attitude Revolution.”Make an Early Mark by Launching a Service Attitude Revolution Info-Tech Research Group6

Get stakeholder support for your quick wins to build excitement and prep for your first big credibility boost A New Leader’s Credibility with Business Leadership Is Based On… Building a Knowledge Base - Participate in orientations for lower- level employees from different departments. - Attend company planning sessions. Spend a couple days working various aspects of the business. Being Action-Oriented - Engage business leadership in the formulation of quick win plans. - Assertively brainstorm potential ways to meet business needs by leveraging technology. Info-Tech Research Group7

Don’t underestimate the value of staff loyalty: you can’t do it alone A New Leader’s Credibility with IT Staff Is Based On… Technical Credibility - Take action when projects are failing. - Maintain technical currency. - Make sure staff know their skills. - Ask staff to find solutions to problems. Personal Credibility - Stick up for your team. - Don’t micromanage. - Try some off-site events. - Spend time socializing. Earning credibility with staff can be difficult if your new team is composed of your former peers. It takes a two-pronged approach to earn their trust. Info-Tech Research Group8

Eventually, you must do something concrete: execute your quick wins now Beware: don’t take on too much too soon. It’s a lot more important to get a few things done really well than take on too much. If you promise to tackle ten things and deliver five of them really well or all ten of them in part, then you’ll be perceived as an ineffective non- finisher. Once you’ve committed to something, do it. IT can develop a poor reputation due to a lack of responsiveness or follow-through. Throughout your career, under-promising and over-delivering will earn more points with stakeholders. Info-Tech Insight: Info-Tech Research Group9

Hard numbers tell the business exactly what you’re doing and how it’s going, so set up basic metrics As a new IT leader, you have limited time to start collecting information and reporting it back to the business. “I implemented some help desk management software and began tracking, logging, and reporting. At the end of 12 months, response time was poor. But that was okay because that gave me the business case for adding people.” - IT Director, Public Administration Build a foundation for a full-fledged metrics program in the future using the research note, “Set a Few Metrics in the First 100 Days.”Set a Few Metrics in the First 100 Days Info-Tech Research Group10

Info-Tech Research Group11 Info-Tech Helps Professionals To: 1.Quickly get up to speed with new technologies 2.Make the right technology purchasing decision – fast 3.Deliver critical IT projects, on time and within budget 4.Manage business expectations 5.Justify IT spending and prove the value of IT 6.Train IT staff and effectively manage an IT department “Info-Tech helps me to be proactive instead of reactive – a cardinal rule in a stable and leading edge IT environment.” - ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co., LP “Info-Tech helps me to be proactive instead of reactive – a cardinal rule in a stable and leading edge IT environment.” - ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co., LP Sign up for a free trial to get practical solutions to your IT challenges. Sign up for a free trial