Some of my friends told me that they enjoyed my blog posting titled "How to run your IS department", although I did hear a consistent message in their feedback. While they seemed to agree with the content of my posting, the general sense was that it sounded like I was complaining without offering any concrete solutions. Well, I'm glad to say that I already had solutions in mind when I made the original posting.
Let me start of by saying that I'm not claiming that these ideas are 100% mine because they're not. Rather, they mostly stem from other sources that I have gleaned over the past year while trying to learn more about Scrum and other best practices. Never the less they will help any leaders that are trying to improve how IS is viewed by their organization.
Get People Outside of IS to Sponsor Your Projects
In Scrum that is the role of the Product Owner. IS rarely creates projects solely for themselves; rather the project has some value to the business. Find someone such as a manager of another department to fill that role. They are going to be a lot more committed to a project if they are an integral part of.
This in stark contrast to having IS creating something in isolation and simply handing it off once they are finished. All too often I have seen a business units being handed an application and very quickly they would start to complain about how it doesn't meet their needs. By making the key stake holder a part of the team, the success of the project is as much as reflection on them as it is on the rest of the contributors.
Build Relationships
This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you are introducing changes to an organization it's a lot better if you already have the faith of some of the key players. Depending on where you are starting from, you may have to start small. Simply show that you care about their problems and go the extra mile to solve them. Over time they will see you as a person that gets things done and will (hopefully) start to believe in you.
Don't fall into the trap of playing a strictly subservient role. Show them that you have the same goals as they do, and you know of ways to meet their goals. Collaboration is a two way street so be sure to offer your ideas an suggestions. Otherwise you'll be more viewed as a helper as opposed to someone that can counted on to bring about positive change .
It may go without saying but also pay attention to who you want to notice you. Every organization is different and part of the trick is finding out who really matters. In some organizations the people at the top may be too far removed from what you're doing. Try to get a sense of who is getting things done in your view of the world.
Sell Something Concrete
If you are trying to introduce change to an organization, there needs to be a clear benefit to what you're proposing. If you simply say something like "We're introducing Scrum", it's going to be a hard sell to people that aren't already familiar with it. Instead focus on the concrete benefits such as "Increased Productivity", "Quicker Turnaround", or "Less Waste". Those are all things that a CEO can get behind.
The biggest mistake you can make is trying to get people to buy into something to which the benefits are not clear. If anything they will assume that you are simply following the latest fad, and that this is all just a waste of time.
Additionally, once you've had a successful project under your belt, people will be much more likely to try this new way of doing things that you are proposing. The selling process will be that much easier.
As always your feedback is much appreciated!
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