1. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Establishing a Career in the MIS/IT/IS Job Market Sherif Kamel The American University in Cairo

2. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Outline  Business of consulting  What makes a successful IT consultant?  The consulting process  IT consulting framework  IT enterprise model  Waves of innovations  The chief information officer  Information leadership  Conclusion

3. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel The business of consulting “The opposite of the word professional is not unprofessional but rather technician”. David Maister

4. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel What makes a successful IT consultant?  Create a vision  Ensure customer satisfaction  Create an information added- value  Build a successful team  Think globally  Appreciate cultural diversity  Develop and empower people with information  Forecast and anticipate  Achieve a competitive advantage  Manage change  Share leadership  Overcome technological barriers  Demonstrate personal capacities  Encourage constructive challenges

5. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Success factors in the IT field  Career advancement87%  Enjoyment of work85%  Support from management67%  Vacation and time off56%  Packages and privileges39% Survey of over 10000 employees in IT Fortune 500 companies

6. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel The consulting process 1.Understand the current status 2.Define the desired state 3.Analyze the gap between these states 4.Recommend an action plan to move from the current state to the desired state 5.Partner with the client to implement the action plan * Certain restrictions and deterrents might apply because of internal and/or external factors

7. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Consulting in IT  The are 5 basic concepts that can serve as a foundation for the IT advisory process: 1.Focus on the relationship 2.Clearly define your role 3.Visualize success 4.You advise, propose, they decide 5.Be oriented towards results

8. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel The IT consulting framework

9. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel The discovery process  In understanding the processes within an organization there are a number of factors that should be clearly understood… 1.How to gain a better understanding of the client’s culture and norms of behavior so that the analysis is based on valid information. 2.How to develop a holistic view of the as-is state so that the recommendations proposed support both organizational and business contexts. 3.How to address the data collection and the information dissemination processes to optimize the knowledge within the organization and from the marketplace.

10. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel The enterprise IT model  Business o Strategic goals, competitive issues, regulatory issues, industry issues  Process o Workflow, data analysis, departmental interaction, policies and procedures  Application o Accounting, word processing, database, computer-based training  Data o Text, numbers, voice, video, scanned images, graphics  Infrastructure o Mainframes, minicomputers, servers, routers, cabling

11. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Data collection methods  Review of existing documentation  Observation  Surveys  Facilitated work sessions  Interviews

12. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Critical success factors CollaborationCommunicationCulture

13. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Cornerstones for successful consulting Consultant Satisfaction Functional Achievement Client Satisfaction

14. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Waves of innovation  There are 5 waves of innovation: o Reducing cost o Leveraging investments o Enhancing products and services o Enhancing executive decision making o Reaching the consumer  You need to be looking, as a consultant, at the realization to as many of these objectives

15. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Traditional functions are fading away  The traditional set of responsibilities for IS has included: – Managing operations of data centers, remote systems, and networks – Managing corporate data – Performing systems analysis and design, and constructing new systems – Systems planning  The following trends are moving their performance out of the IS department: – Distributed systems – Ever more knowledgeable users – Better application packages – Outsourcing

16. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel New roles are emerging 1. IS not a single monolithic organization, but rather a cluster of 4 functions: – Run operations – Develop systems – Develop architecture – Identify business requirements 2. The focus of the IS department is on: – Computer and network operations – System development and maintenance – Systems and information architecture – Business requirements identification

17. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Changing Roles  Companies are shifting attention from roles to processes.  The IS department can be viewed as managing 3 overall processes: o Driving innovation o Managing change o Supporting infrastructure

18. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Chief Information Officer  CIOs has the responsibility for making sure that IS plan supports the firm’s business plan and provides long-term direction for the firm’s system related firms  CIOs should have a mix of business and technological knowledge  CIOs represent the strategic nature of IS leadership

19. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel CIO’s Responsibilities  In order to take a leadership role in reshaping the way the enterprise works and competes, IS executives have the following responsibilities: 1.Understand the business 2.Establish credibility of the IS department 3.Increase the technological maturity of the firm  Develop a competent IS staff and IT-savvy users  Encourage championing of IT projects

20. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel CIO’s Responsibilities 4.Create a vision of the future and sell it  Develop a vision  Exploring the present  Project the future  Selling the vision 5.Implement an information system architecture 6.Foster relationships 7.Operates within a networked paradigm – integrating technical and human issues 8.Appreciates importance of knowledge management

21. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel IT priorities for CIOs

22. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Information Literacy+ Information Policy= Knowledge Management Information Leadership Information integration

23. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Types of information Volume of information Meaning of information SyntacticSemantic More important to knowledge creation

24. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Information literacy for leadership buildup  Accesses information efficiently and effectively  Evaluates information critically and competently  Uses information accurately and creatively  Strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation  Participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information

25. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Information policy  Ability to identify information and information access and information policies  Policy captures an organization's ‘thinking’ about an issue  Provides guidance and strives for a consistent approach  Information acquisition and dissemination is vital  ICT has enabled the need for information policy process formulation

26. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Epistemology and ontology  Epistemology is the Theory of knowledge  Ontology is the Knowledge creating entities o Individuals o Groups o Organizations o Inter-organizations

27. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Knowledge and information Knowledge Level Individual Ontological Dimension Group Organization Inter-Organization Epistemological Dimension Tacit Knowledge Explicit Knowledge

28. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Who is an information leader?  Has an information philosophy  Understands core issues of learning and professional development  Understanding of technology, not technical, rather technological vision  Interprets educational and administration needs into technological solutions  Manages ICT from a socioeconomic and business development perspective

29. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Conclusion  CIOs must play a leadership role in the enterprise and develop partnerships with… o Senior management o Internal and external customers o Suppliers

30. Copyright © 2004 Sherif Kamel Rules of life – the infoware  Infoware 1 – Life is not fair - get used to it!  Infoware 2 – The world will not care about your self- esteem. The world will expect you to add value before you feel good about yourself  Infoware 3 – If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss  Infoware 4 - Life is not divided into semesters. You do not get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time, if you find any  Infoware 5 – Never stop learning, that is your only way to success and promotion and knowledge acquisition