When I believe it will provide a benefit; When it is inhibiting my success; When I have to
After having numerous meetings with IT Directors through CIOs I have found myself in a quandary and welcome your advice. I sit across executives who have much to accomplish, and much that provides opportunity and challenges within their departments. However, when I tell them that I can provide process help almost anywhere that they can imagine to improve performance, relationships, traceability and accountability, they don’t understand why they would need that. We have a frank conversation on where their department is to date, their dreams for the future and the problems that are inhibiting this path. I turn my pages of notes back to them, and surprisingly almost 75% or more of their challenges fall into the category of process. Now, other than going back to sales school 101, I have been giving this some thought.
When I compare this to solving issues with the purchase of more data storage, a ScrumMaster, faster network speed or a new sales system like SalesForce there is little hesitation.
Then, when or why do you invest in Process? I think I know when you will have the answer. When you actually ask yourself, (unless you are in charge of Process) – Will I really get it done?
I believe the difference is that as an executive you cannot hold disks or keep spreadsheets on increasing an earlier life you set up a plan for testing, something like a service, but perhaps without metrics at the end, a vision with a roadmap with most of the steps…., and yes, you can do it again. But when? If you can invest in something that could help with 75% of your challenges, why don’t you take the step?
So, when do you invest in Process ? When you realize that what’s keeping you awake isn’t network speed but the lack of communications between Dev and Ops, or the way that the Business is going around IT and insisting everything is their fault, and not to mention you don’t have any time to focus on innovation. You are buried in babysitting IT. Maybe it is time to look at investing in yourself, admitting that some things won’t get done without help but that the results are worth asking for.
Think about it, when you have a chance.
Reach out to us, process people love to help.
Laura J Wilcox
