IT and IG - Friends or frenemies?
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Transcript of IT and IG - Friends or frenemies?
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
About knowquestion
Information and Knowledge Management specialist consulting firm
“Joining the dots” between technology, governance, and people
Based in Canberra and Melbourne
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
frenemy, n.1. Someone who pretends to
be a friend but is actually an enemy
2. A rival with which one maintains friendly relations
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Case study 1: Tech focus ≠ good IG
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Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Case study 1: Tech focus ≠ good IGRecordkeeping-compliant system based on
SharePoint 2010Mandate to implement new, comparatively
untested system by the CIO12 months design and piloting by the IM
team – lots of bugs discovered and squashed
Rollout plan produced to progressively migrate business areas with a minimum of disruption over 18 months
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Case study 1: Tech focus ≠ good IGIT never understood the IG
complexities“Can’t we just migrate everything in
one go?”IM manager quit, team was
disbanded and relocated under various IT teams
IT took control, saw upgrade to SharePoint 2013 seen as “the answer”
3 years later, the project is still in limbo
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Case study 2: Don’t bury IGConsultant setting up an Information
Governance structure at request of business
Set up overarching process with senior exec attending steering committee
Information stewards appointedKnowledge café identified key areas
requiring improved governance
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Case study 2: Don’t bury IGResponsibility to deliver strategic IM
capability was placed with CIOCTO was assigned responsibilityTreated IM as part of IT architectureRedirected IM funds into data
architect / data modelling roleLack of money and resources to
progress IM3 key IM champions have moved to
other orgs/areas in frustration at being stalled
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Case study 3: IT is not “special”Local council was having trouble
completing their initiatives and projectsDuring a workshop, 600 separate initiatives
were tabled (4 x A0 pieces of paper, 6pt font)
A new governance process was devised and agreed by all major stakeholders (including IT) to jointly agree on the top ~10 priorities
Agile approach – everyone collaborates on completing priorities & minimise conflicts
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Case study 3: IT is not “special”
Review of process 3 months later found that IT had withdrawn nearly all of their work from the priority queue
Justification was that “IT know best what they should be doing”
Ignored fact that IT choosing to do tasks that were not a business priority was a key reason for bottlenecks in the first place!
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Mystique and “specialness” of IT
The productivity revolution from affordable local computer servers, PCs, and the internet in the 90s gave IT a ‘touch of magic’
For 20 years IT has been able to obtain a significant budget simply by promising the technically successful deployment of technology
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
The IG problemWe know that:
◦ lack of audit, integrity, and data quality controls leave organisations at legal risk, cause scandals and reputational damage
◦poor information and data architecture can have a serious and ongoing impact on productivity
◦technology upgrades decrease productivity by forcing users to relearn the UI
◦migration of information and data across technology platforms are costly and error-prone
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
“Expecting A while rewarding B”
IT is rewarded for doing tech,
not on managing the impacts of having done it.
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Centralised IT planning
It’s easy for strategic and project plans to become a mechanism for IT to:◦hold the ultimate veto power◦prioritise pet projects◦adopt a technically simpler approach◦demonstrate “progress” without actual
business benefits◦avoid blame for outcomes
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
What employees do
Rather than challenge this mystical, controlling mentality, employees are going around IT
“Shadow IT” spend can be 50% or more of the corporate IT budget
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
What employees do
Since shadow IT is technically unauthorised, IG won’t find out about it officially
And if it does, IG must either tacitly ignore the IT directives to follow corporate process, or protect the interests of the business
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
If IT is a mystical “black box” it can’t be
strategically used.
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
A. System changes should be initiated in response to
business problems.
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
B. A process of prioritisation should determine which
problems are to be solved first.
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Senior exec support for the processToo often, inconsistent messages
from executives and managers sink Information Governance initiatives
IG works when there is ongoing buy in and follow through from the highest levels down
Not a dictatorship but a collaboration
IG personnel should genuinely listen and respond to needs, not impose a mandate
Better buy in from staff = better outcomes
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Genuine IT engagement
Good CIOs are recognising the need to be genuinely strategic about information and not just technology
Essential to have consultation and engagement with all areas of business
Problem: The business often lacks the ability to technically describe what’s needed
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
D. Information Governance is best placed to integrate all views about information
handling.
Twitter: @smbounds http://knowquestion.com.au
Bridging the gapInformation Governance teams need to
provide both processes and staff expertise to describe and negotiate the technical implementation of business needs by IT
Adopting this approach is normally a step outside the comfort zone of both IT and IG
Making this relationship work is all about …