Why Did the Technician Cross the Road?
I will answer that question … But first, I recently read an article in the Colorado Biz Magazine detailing what so many of us in the IT world already know. There are plenty of shady characters out there making the really valuable members of the industry look bad. The article goes on to, in my opinion, place the blame at the IT Integrator level and hammers home the idea that we’re unimaginative, inefficient and incapable of delivering a quality product without some deception or incompetence. I’ve got some serious issue and could break down each one and argue differently, however I will stay on point with my discussion of who I feel is responsible for the success of Technology projects.
In my opinion there are three players or ‘legs’ to the IT Stool and if any one of them is not measuring up the stool can tilt, teeter or even topple right over. This is a disaster for everyone involved and not the way to help a business meet their objectives and ultimately have the right impact on their success. The three legs are the Manufacturers, the IT Consultants and Engineering firms and the Client. I know it will come as a shock but every one of these players has a different agenda driven by corporate policy, market demands and even stock prices. To say it’s a tough road to navigate the ever increasing barrage of manufacturers messaging, change of messaging, new product launches, new discount offers, new software releases, new market segments, new statics of “what customers what”, what we should sell and what is end of life is a trivialization of the job. In addition within the first engagement you should be able to tell what kind of client you have and whether they are a ‘listener’, a ‘learner’ or the dread ‘manage from a magazine’. In addition you can be ‘told’ that the influencer and decision makers are clear and knowledge about everything that is needed and desired within the scope of the project and within the first day of installation be standing face to face with a steaming-mad-screaming employee who demands to know ‘who made the decision on this storage option’.
During a recent panel discussion of C level’s the key #1 issue they stated was ‘on their minds’ was retaining good employees and finding the right projects to drive business. Not whether IT is honest, accountable or even talented. Manufacturers can EOL a product two days after you quote it, customers can change the minds the minute they read an article on a plane and industry “standards” can be dictated by people that never touch the products. So why did the IT Technician cross the road? It’s most likely to get away from the insanely unappreciative people who’ve never walked a step in their shoes. Or in my case, the closet well-deserved cocktail after a very long project just happens to be in that direction.
-Jennifer Smith, PEI
