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December 21, 1999

Your letters to my print column and this E-mail forum ask some serious questions about managing information technology in today's world. Since today's world is essentially absurd, my serious responses may sometimes sound a little whimsical, and my occasional whimsical ones, serious. In any case, if you want to participate, write to me at lovelace@home.com. I'll respond to those letters that I can. I reserve the right to edit for size and content. Just sign your E-mail the way you want it to appear online.

Dear Herb:
I have a question that may not be related to what you normally hear from your readers, but I thought that I'd write to you, nonetheless.

I am a graduate student at a midwestern university studying technical communication. My first two loves, computer technology and writing, have pulled me away from a former career in another field and led me to graduate school to study technical writing and computer networks.

I love to explain how things work; as a result, I decided to formalize my interests in a graduate degree program. I don't consider myself a 100% computer techie, but see myself more as someone with a foot in two worlds: the "user" world, filled with practical thinkers who use computers as tools in their everyday work; and the "techie" world, inhabited by logical thinkers who understand how the computers work. Since I've had difficulty living in either world for a long period of time, I decided that technical writing is a fitting label for my interests and one that would provide a gateway to connect these dissimilar networks of people.

Over the past few years, I've worked on a help desk, attained a Microsoft certification in Windows NT 4.0, and am working towards completing a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer + Internet certification. Some have said that a high level of certification is overkill for my future profession. However, I find myself reading the study books and taking the evening classes out of (do I dare say it?) enjoyment of the technology.

I would like to become a technical writer in the near future with the possibility of working in MIS as well. However, in talking with recruiters and headhunters, I'm told that my interests and background don't follow the typical career profile of an MIS professional; consequently, my pursuits are thwarted by professionals who "know" what companies need.

It seems to me that companies today require their computer professionals to have skills in communication, critical thinking, and business, as well as computer technology. Computer professionals need to be able to translate the technology to the users who will use it in their everyday tasks.

My question to you is this: Is it farfetched for me to think that a future in MIS is possible with my current background? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Sam

Dear Sam:
Bless you for your aspirations--and your understanding of a major deficiency in our business world today. What the IT industry really needs are people who translate our jargon and convoluted sentences into meaningful language. The career possibilities are unlimited. Not only can you become a technical writer, but given your knowledge and interest in the technology, you may find yourself in the enviable position of also having to explain the project work to business leaders during the concept and implementation phases.

The recruiters and headhunters are absolutely correct. Your interests and background don't follow the typical career profile of an IT professional. That is exactly what would make you so valuable to a company. We have a real shortage of people in the information technology field who have excellent communication skills. It's a demanding and difficult job to explain complex systems to people, and we need all the help we can get. See if you can talk to some important users in a few of the companies that spark your interest. I suspect you'll get a very different reception than the one you've gotten from the recruiters.

Good luck in your career choice.

Dear Herb:
This letter is just fan mail. I often throw the rest of the publication away, but I always read your column. The situations you describe as happening in a very large organization are surprisingly applicable even to a roadside stand like a public university. Of course, I would read the column just for the humor of the writing.

Heidi

Dear Heidi:
I really appreciate your letter. It does wonders for soothing my frequently bruised ego after a day in that large organization you describe. However, I would point out that there is no reason for you to be surprised to discover that the situations I encounter are applicable to life in a public university. People are still people. They may have different vocations, but their personalities and quirks transcend professions. You probably can identify your own versions of Kratmeyer, Gornish, and so on.

I do hope that you read some of the rest of InformationWeek before you toss it away. It's a really useful publication for anyone involved in information technology and some of the commentary by Stephanie Stahl, Charles Pelton, and Bob Evans is very enlightening. And so far as reading my column just for the humor, what makes you think that I'm trying to be funny when I talk about some of the stuff that goes on around me?

Dear Herb:
I am a CPA who has worked for the last 15 years as an auditor for a company under federal contract. I am interested in moving into a career in the computer programming or database administration area. My ultimate goal is to do contract work or telecommute in order to accommodate family responsibilities. My questions: Would it be best to get a Master's degree in MIS? Would it be best to just take several programming courses? Would it be best to obtain certifications? If so, which would you recommend? And what is the best way to obtain "hands on" experience?

Thank you.

Lynn

Dear Lynn:
While it is possible to make a total career change after 15 years as an auditor, you may find that it will be easier to achieve your goals of contract work or telecommuting if you leverage your present experience. After 15 years as an auditor, you are trained in finding the holes and logical inconsistencies in a process. Understanding processes and how to improve them is a key attribution of a systems analyst.

Even though getting an advanced degree in MIS would be useful, I think that practical experience would buy you more in the marketplace, especially given that you are not looking for a full-time office position. Likewise, certifications are useful, but only if you know specifically what area of information technology is your target. It seems that you might be better off in getting some hands-on work experience before making that decision.

If you have no background in computer programming, I suggest you take a few courses at a local university in basic systems design as well as either Cobol or C++. (Readers of this column will no doubt gasp that I mention that archaic language, Cobol. The fact remains, that a significant number of commercial systems still exist that use Cobol and it will be useful to know it, especially since CIOs are more likely to outsource support of these systems to contracting firms than their enterprise systems such as SAP.) Using your new skills, the next step would be to approach firms that provide contract temporary support to businesses. Register with them and explain your willingness to use your new skills as a supplement to your already extensive auditing experience.

Best wishes in your career plans.

Dear Herb:
I thought I'd write you a question after reading your article, "IT Dollars Need Equality", since I'm always dealing with the problem. I am the finance manager for the IT group and report directly to the CIO. Thus, my life is to pound on everyone to keep them in line and have solutions that keep the CIO happy.

My company is thinking about leasing PC-related equipment (three years), so how would you consider re-engineering the invisible procurement and processing procedure that would satisfy accounting (payments and asset lists), finance (planning), purchasing (procurement) and, most of all, IT, to supply the needed equipment (before the users knows they need it).

Would it be in IT's best interest to provide the leasing information and have HR or accounting be the police? Is there anything else I should consider like spare parts, warranty procedure, returns or trade-ins, and additional staffing?

I appreciate your time and thank you for your input.

Russell

Dear Russell:
I'm distressed that as the finance manager for information technology, you have the job from the CIO to pound on everyone and keep them in line. It can't be much fun for you or for them. I prefer organizational structures where people agree on objectives and work toward them. But I wander from your questions.

The procurement process for hardware and software is so important that it should be reviewed whether or not you decide to go ahead and lease the PC equipment. You have mentioned five different organizations in your company that seem to have some stake in what happens: accounting, finance, purchasing, human resources, and IT. The best way of making sure they're all satisfied with the results of building a new process is to get them involved at the beginning of its construction. Rather than you worrying about what their roles should be and whether to "have HR or accounting be the police," a more fruitful approach is invite them to join a team whose objective is improving the existing process. The team's first task should be to discuss what each group wants to achieve for the company and then to document quickly the existing process. Then, through brainstorming and critical evaluation, the group would design a new process that is as simple as feasible.

You definitely should be concerned about warranties, spare parts, etc. Make sure that your contract is specific as to who owns what if your machines are modified. Also, you need to determine who is accountable if a leased machine turns out to be a lemon. One area that falls in the etc. category is very important: Who is responsible for tracking the whereabouts of the machines? PCs, especially portables, sometimes are difficult to find physically after being distributed. They are often transferred within a department to someone other than to whom they were issued. If you don't develop a strong tracking mechanism your company may wind up with a mess on its hands when it comes time to either replace the leased machines or change vendors.

Herbert W. Lovelace is CIO at a multibillion-dollar international company. Herb practices his day job under an alias and has changed the names of colleagues to protect the guilty.