PC Week Magazine

 

Just say no

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To accept a no, a user must appreciate IT's position. Many users suggest projects that would benefit their department or make their job easier but are at odds with larger priorities. "Most people can understand that you have to prioritize," says Ray of Compex."But if they don't understand the priorities and you just tell them no, they get mad. You have to keep information flowing." If a business unit feels his or her project should take priority over someone else's, Ray doesn't say no himself. He tells the unit to argue with upper management about whose project is more important. "The IT people don't want to get into that argument--no matter who wins, we end up losing," he says.

The more users know about the company's IT plans, the easier it is for them to accept a no. The IT department for the Memphis City Schools supports 30,000 PCs in 164 locations. Like any sprawling operation, Memphis faces a big task in maintaining standards. Much of the staff's time was being consumed by calls from users asking about some piece of software or hardware. So the IT department published a 30-page manual, which it distributed by the thousands, listing everything it supported, and most of the calls disappeared.

For a CIO to say no with impunity, support from the top is crucial. "It's important for the CEO to understand the things we're working on are directly related to his [or her] goals for the organization. When I have a confrontation with someone, the only thing I have to explain to the CEO is how my position meets his [or her] goals," says Egan.

And then there's your reputation. One reason Egan decided to make his first client/server project a mission-critical application--an order processing system--was to make a splash. "I replaced a guy who fought for years to keep PCs out of the company, someone with a real Big Blue mainframe mentality," he says. "There were a lot of IT naysayers, so I felt it was important to make a big hit and move on from there."

To say no, a CIO must be proactive. Memphis City Schools set up the Teacher's Learning Facility, where the IT staff is always testing new products. The facility is open to users to sample products someone wants to sell them. "We'll load in the software and see if it does what the vendor says it will--and often it doesn't," says Linda Mainord, director of technology special projects for Memphis City Schools. "If you take the leadership position and provide the most current information, you have far fewer cases of people wanting to do something different."

Finding allies

Finding allies is crucial. At Federal Home, IT creates alliances by placing application development teams inside the business units. Developers report directly to both Ledman, tech vice president, and to the head of the business unit they serve. Since this structure was implemented a few years ago, Ledman finds no carries more weight.

The bottom line? "The IT organization should work its way out to all areas of the company,"Egan says. "You almost need sponsors." When Egan launched his first client/server project, he put the director of the company's estimating group on the team."Because of that, we had an unbelievably easier timedealing with the group," Egan says."When he said, 'Guys, I know you want to do this, but we just can't,' it was a much easier sell because he usedto be their boss. The users perceived him as someone like themselves."

 

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