At some point in your IT career, you might be asked to step up and take a more leadership role in the IT organization. Maybe you were managing a small group of engineers or leading a team of application developers when a spot opened up at the more senior levels and you were asked to fill it. Then, one day you find out that you have to develop AND present an IT strategic plan. The first time you do this, you’ll probably feel something like this –
“I had 20 minutes to lay out the IT Strategic Plan. 20 minutes to convince them to invest a boatload of cash. THEIR cash. 20 minutes to convince them the strategy was the RIGHT strategy. Clutching my notes in one hand and the “clicker” in the other, I went through the slides. There were a few clarifying questions, but mostly there was silence. As I closed with my summary and stopped, all eyes were focused, not on my slides, but on me. Was this going to be the nightmare from my childhood all over again? That terrified sixth grader wanted to scream and run. Breathe. Breathe deep. Then…then it happened…” — Jeff Ton in Amplify Your Value: Leading IT with Strategic Vision
In his book Amplify Your Value, Jeff takes you through a tour of many of the experiences and expectations leading an IT organization. He starts with the key steps in developing an IT strategy and provides guidance on developing relationships and selecting business appropriate language. He provides examples of architecture diagrams he used to communicate and sell the IT plan and vision. He then goes on to describe how to put the strategic vision to work and covers governance, process improvement, planning and project management.
And then the book gets more detailed around selecting the right language that will “Amplify your value” as you help define core operating principles He provides examples around cloud strategy, implementing ERPs, and surviving a major weather related power outage.
What I like most about Jeff’s book is that it’s easy to read with real examples from someone who’s lived in the trenches and asked to solve a variety of business challenges. Along the journey, you’ll learn elements of ITIL, agile, architecture, leadership, and communications through Jeff’s story telling and examples.
Pick this one up and happy learning!
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