IT Relationship Management – New IT Role or Skills for the IT Manager?
Last week I participated in a Learning Tree training class, “IT Relationship Management: Aligning IT with the Business”, and it is this class that causes me to ask the question. Is the IT Relationship Manager role a viable position in a company or a set of skills for IT managers? Based on my company and experience I believe a set of skills.
The main activity of the IT Relationship Manager (ITRM) is Alignment. This is accomplished by understanding the business goals and the IT services available to help them achieve those goals. Sounds simple enough right!
The instructor explained that the ITRM pulled skills from several Roles. For example, Business relationship manager, service delivery manager, service-level manager, project manager, and account manager. Well, lets be realistic, It’s taken me years to learn the roles of IT architect, project manager, and department manager and I’m still learning everyday. I have also found it difficult, if not impossible, to find another person with more then one well defined skill set. This is the reason I say ITRM is a set of skills for the IT manager and not a new role in the company.
We can break the skill sets and tools down into four groups.
- Initiating and building relationships. (Skills)
- IT Processes and Services (Tools)
- Business Landscape Needs (Tools)
- Championing Innovative Solutions (Skills)
Initiating and building relationships
Relationship building is of course important and the most difficult skill for most IT workers. But to accomplish alignment you need trust and to gain trust you need to talk to people. Communication is the most important skill.
IT Processes and Services
This is more about tools and information. Does your company post its services to the business? Does the business have any idea about what IT can do and if not this is where we need to start. In the class the instructor mentioned a “Catalog of Services” or “IT Services Catalog” to document and communicate the services IT can provide.
Business Landscape Needs
Next you need to identify the issues from the business, understand the services from IT, and then figure out ways to close the gap between current situation and desired situation. Look for important and obtainable projects.
Championing Innovative Solutions
With the business needs identified and some quick win projects selected, its time for the sale. You need to use your new relationship with the business to “sell” them on the new solutions.
I will revisit these sections in more detail In future posts.
Still don’t think you need these skills?
There is usually a perceived alignment between IT and the business. IT provides the solution and the business learns to work with the solutions provided. This is not really alignment and the business users are usually unhappy with the final product. If you purchased this software for home and it didn’t work, well, you’d return it and buy something else. What makes you think your company isn’t thinking that with your internal IT department? Don’t think it’s possible, does any of this sound familiar?
- Your business develops or hires its own IT resources.
- Does the business have a department IT person? Are small projects done without IT, e.g. daily reports?
- Your business outsources its IT to external third parties.
- Are entire applications outsourced, e.g. CRM, e-Commerce?
During the class the instructor also mentioned some key points to identify if the IT department has limited value to the organization.
- There is an increase in the business blaming IT when things go wrong.
- IT spends money to upgrade hardware and software that the business does not need and it doesn’t directly affect the goals of the business.
- The business is continually annoyed at IT and voices that it doesn’t understand what it is getting.
- Very low customer satisfaction by word-of-mouth or surveys.
- Takes a long time to get anything done via IT.
Overall, I believe it is possible to use these skills to better align my department with the business. My plan then is to test the skills with my department. Then begin to branch out and try to help other departments better there position with IT. Maybe this will allow me to sell the need to the ITRM role, but I don’t think its possible from the top down.
They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. — Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987), The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
