What Others Are Thinking December 21, 2007
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Business Processes, Coaching, Mythology.Tags: Business Takeovers, Data Stewardship, Governance, IT
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Great post over at ProjectManagement411.com. For those of us who bemoan the fact that management doesn’t get IT, here is a glimmer of reprieve:
IT Systems Aren’t Evaluated by Takeover Artists? .
Management needs to understand that they are not drivers of a car; rather, they are airline pilots, where certain intricacies are vital for keeping the plane aloft. Ignore what the mechanics say, and you will crash and take many others with you – this includes shareholders as well.
Part of your preparation as a solution provider is to avoid conversations like the one’s that Al and Wu have. Communication tools have been discussed here in earlier posts here . Developers fall down in this area, and many retreat to the corner of the Agilistas and pretend Design Patterns are like physics, but in the end if the client doesn’t get you, you don’t get your check. Richard Feynman, a truly brilliant man, always came back to the practical. When he presented problems, it was in terms all could understand. Practitioners of the ActiveEngine embrace the communication challenge as he did, and help everyone involved grow.
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I love the car and airplane analogies. My use of a brick flying was inadvertent but apparently representative of the current state of non-IT executive awareness of their systems and data. Many feel that the CIO role is becoming more important- I agree only if that role has a strong project-strategy link. However, I think it is more important that ALL executives develop their “inner CIO” as part of their role.
I got so engrossed reading the post I didn’t realize you used a flying brick!