Physics of IT - How Massive is my IT Organization?

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As we have moved from an industrial to informational mindset, the pendulum has swung somewhat. While capabilities are still paramount, the bulk associated with what is required to provide these capabilities (assets and headcount) is no longer seen as necessarily being required. Over the last several years being nimble has been a mandate (spoken or unspoken). Use of external labor and business process outsourcing is seen as a way of providing capability while shedding mass (becoming more nimble). Cloud computing, similarly, is seen as a way to provide assets to an organization without directly adding mass to the organization.

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Physics of IT - Mass (of Capabilities)

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While certainly not as straight forward as inventorying people or assets, the capabilities of the IT organization provide is another form of mass. Capabilities add process processes to the people and the technology (Vaughan Merlyn has a great post on differentiating capabilities from processes) and in so doing provide a business perspective of the scope of value provided by the IT organization. By cataloguing the capabilities of an IT organization it is possible to assess the mass this set of capabilities provides.

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Physics of IT - Mass (of Assets)

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Conceptually, we can think of mass as the collection of quantitative and qualitative attributes that can describe not only the size of an organization, but also the ability to deliver results to their customers. Mass connotes weight and with it inertia. Those people who have plied their trade in organizational change are all too familiar with the joys and pains of the inertia which allows organizations in motion to stay in motion, and organizations at rest to stay at rest.

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Physics of IT - Mass (of People)

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Conceptually, we can think of mass as the collection of quantitative and qualitative attributes that can describe not only the size of an organization, but also the ability to deliver results to their customers. Mass connotes weight and with it inertia. Those people who have plied their trade in organizational change are all too familiar with the joys and pains of the inertia which allows organizations in motion to stay in motion, and organizations at rest to stay at rest.

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Physics of an IT Organization

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A former colleague of mine, John Calvello, has penned Corporate Physics. A great book which draws insightful comparisons between implementing complex change and Newtonian Physics. These two topics would normally not share a sentence, but they have inspired the next series of posts as I draw similar correlations to traditional IT organizations.

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Letting Go

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From the consultant or contractor perspective, letting go is a very hard thing to do. The process of performing the type of work which consultants and contractors do is intellectually and surprisingly emotionally engaging. Comparisons can easily be drawn between many consulting and contracting engagements and raising children. There is a great deal of the consultant's soul in the project.

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Whom Do I Hire, Consultant or Contractor?

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As an executive, you find yourself in unfamiliar waters. You have a groundswell of demand for collaborative and Web 2.0 technologies and many are currently used within your organization. While you have concerns over reliability, security, availability, on-going support, and a variety of other topics, you realize the value of these technologies and know that the promise they show will be of tremendous value. Given your extensive knowledge and relationships within the company, you know that of the 360 degrees on the compass in which you can direct your company, you have narrowed the down a possible directional choices to "generally northwest".

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Demonstrable Leadership

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Nuts and bolts time. As a leader how do your demonstrate your leadership? Are you doing anything to position yourself as something other than a leader? There are probably hundreds of tasks and activities which you can do during any given day. The items with which you choose to interact with people, and how you choose to interact with people, will play a big part in your ability to lead them.

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How to Organize for Success

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There are four building blocks to the model. Each of which should be followed at a high level to understand the bigger picture and in doing so define the parameters to work within. Once this has been performed at a high level, an additional level of detail should be produced to provide additional specificity to each of the four building blocks of the template.

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Technical Architecture - Static or Active?

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What happens when the technology platform which you have adopted is eclipsed by newer more efficient or effective technology? It is easy for this to happen. The decisions made today will have a shelf life. Vendors of software platforms are frequently purchased leaving the acquired platform in limbo. Different technologies and platforms which perform similar roles can gain more market traction leaving the chosen platform in question.

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