2007/03/22

I.T. in context

Here are Questions, not Answers...
Things that I'd like to explore and have better answers on.

Most of these questions probably don't have permanent 'answers' - each generation, each culture, each industry has to define and redefine them for their mix of technology, political structure and workplace organisation I suspect.

Management

  • Why do we 'manage'?
  • What is 'management'? A definition of the role/tasks. Taxonomy.
  • Why is 'management' so hard?
  • Exactly in what ways is 'management' hard?
  • How is 'management' different from 'project management'?
  • What parts of 'management' can be modelled? What cannot be?
  • What is a 'good manager', 'poor manager' and 'bad manager'? Can 'management performance' be measured?
  • Are all 'manager' behaviours productive or acceptable - bullying, rule-by-fear, ...
  • Where do 'Qualtiy', 'Errors', 'Performance' and 'Humanness' fit?
  • What is 'Office Politics'? Where does it fit? Can it be modeled (internal. external, ...)? Is it benefical to the Organisation? (Agency theory and personal vs org/other benefit)

I.T. in Context in the Organisation

  • Where does I.T. fit? How does it/could it intersect/interface with 'management'? Where does I.T. fit in the Context.
  • Is I.T. a Cost Centre or not? How can the Benefits of I.T. be found, accounted for and managed/optimised?
  • Balance Sheet accounting/reporting of I.T. outputs and outcomes.
  • I.T. Waste, Efficiency and Effectiveness - definitions, impact, economic models.
  • "Project Failure = Management Failure" - Why do I.T. Projects still consistently fail after 5 decades of I.T.?
  • Are I.T. Projects the only part of I.T. that fail? (Definition of a 'project'. Theory of Project Management.)
  • Are I.T. Projects the only projects afflicted within organisations?

The Profession (I.T.)

Repeat for Management, Accounting, ???
  • What role does the "I.T. Profession" have in the current 'State of Practice'?
  • Can I.T. be run better, produce better results, waste less? or is "this is as good as it gets"?
  • Definitions of 'professional', 'professionalism' and 'profession'. Roles & Responsiblities Matrix.
  • Taxonomy of I.T. within organisations (Projects, Operations, Service Mgt, ?)
  • Taxonomy of I.T. profession.
  • What is good, poor and bad I.T. Management?

Individual I.T. practitioners

  • What's 'good', 'poor', 'outstanding' and 'bad' performance/practice of individuals per field?
  • Can the differences in capability, preference and experience/knowledge of practitioners be known/assessed?



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