Trident University
Student’s Name: JC Abdul-Rahmaan
Module 3: SLP Assignment
Course Number: ITM 590
Course Name: Integrative Project (Capstone)
Professor’s Name: Dr. C. Shah
Date: Dec 12, 2016
Information Technology (IT) management has become a significant operational domain in many organizations today. IT management wing will take all the typical mainstream as well as support operations related to information technology. However, the field requires senior positions to oversee the IT operations and make critical decisions regarding the IT services in general. Also, the position requires a lot of experience and knowledge of standard organizational functionality as a whole. IT Director is one such position which is meant to take up the responsibilities as mentioned. IT Directors are regularly promoted to senior IT Director after five years of service as Director. IT Director/Senior IT Director, in turn, will report to the Managing Director and subsequently to the board. The position requires a sound knowledge of the domain, a significant amount of commitment to the organizational requirements and objectives. Also, the IT Directors requires functioning in line with the vision and objectives of the organization in both the short term and long term frameworks. Also, they should have the qualification and right inclination towards leadership and management of the organization.
At present, the company is proceeding with the senior manager position to take up all the IT related decisions and coordination of the IT task at both operational and management levels. Even though the senior manager are not directly involved in the strategic decision-making process, they are instrumental in advising top management regarding the decisions which they need to take from time to time. Typical policy decisions, like whether IT expansion is required, should the current budget of the department be adjusted or whether it is appropriate to keep the allocations as per the proposal and what other supportive decisions are needed for making the IT division achieve its targets. However considering the limitations of the position as per the organizational structure and considering the operational job responsibilities of the position, it is not appropriate to employ a Senior IT manager for strategic decisions and related decisions. A considerable amount of their time should be spent in the operational front. Considering this IT Director position is proposed (Trites, 2004).
Position requirements of IT Director Post:
IT leaders mainly work on operations in three or four different segments. First, when it comes to the routine operational sections, they should be able to monitor the day to day operations through managers, they should be able to follow-up whether there are any deviations in the expected quality and other commitments in IT tasks being performed on the day to day basis. Hence to oversee these issues, IT managers should have the necessary knowledge and aptitude. They should be someone with experience in the operational stream of IT management. Perhaps a senior IT manager with extensive expertise in the domain will be fit for promotion to IT Director, provided they possess other qualifications and eligibility requirements as well.
IT Directors will conduct workforce management from the top level. He or she will be dealing with some people in the IT department at the managerial level in the organization, as well they will be taking care of the management of supportive staff from other divisions, coordinating with the IT department. Hence to have better management of human resources, the person should have management experience as well as excellent verbal and written communication skills. Also, an IT Director should have proper qualifications related to IT along with a preferable MBA degree in general management to ensure that they have traditional theoretical knowledge of the specialization in addition to the conceptual awareness of the Directorate. IT director should have a good grasp of the vision, mission and other operational aspects of the company. They should have an excellent knowledge of the organizational policies, priorities, budgetary decision-related guidelines, strategic foresight and vision towards corporate progression. This is essential for the IT Director, as they will be involved in continuous support of top management making IT policies, strategic decisions and the tactical advice on implementation and overview of the IT systems in general.
The position requires both managerial as well as leadership qualities, at times of crisis, IT Directors should be able to show the competency to keep the operations moving smoothly and in turn make the operations progress without friction. To understand, the key aspects required for the IT Director are the capabilities to function independently, the capacity to think in the organizational perspectives, a foresight on organizational priorities and strategic requirements from time to time, ability to understand the corporate management initiatives, intervene voluntarily as and when the necessity arises. The position requires knowledge, experience, capabilities, qualifications and aptitude to be successful. Considering the future IT management ambitions of the company and the limitations present in extending the current senior IT manager position to oversee the business operations, IT Director position is proposed (Earl,1999).
Job Description of IT Director Post:
IT Directors should manage all of the technological processes in the organization and should verify their compliances with the organizational goals.
Directors should devise IT strategies and policies to support the implementation of the operational strategies implemented by top management from time to time. Analyze the IT requirements of all the divisions to support the mainstream business operations of the company (Xcentric).
Play a fundamental role in purchasing efficient and profitable equipment as per the business needs of the organization from time to time.
Ensure all of the hardware and software selected for the operation of the organization should be capable enough to meet the organizational and operational requirements and should ensure that the right equipment and technology is available in the organization to meet the organizational and operational needs from time time. Directors should monitor the versions of software tools available and should able to suggest ways to modify and upgrade the existing versions from time to time and this, in turn, will be in line with the organizational requirements.
Coordinate with other IT managers from time to time and be able to supervise other professionals as needed.
Possess the ability to propose budgets and be able to develop reports on the budgetary spending as and when required by the top management.
IT Directors should have good relation development skills and should able to keep up relationships with vendors, whose relations will be instrumental in developing the right contracts and for supplying the right tools and equipment as per the organizational requirements (Indeed).
Specific Leadership traits expected:
IT Directors should be capable of extracting work and ensuring commitment and compliance with efficiency. They should be capable of mentoring and promoting compliance with organizational interests. Be pro-active, flexible and still strong enough to handle challenges and meet the expectations in the job profile. IT Directors should able to manage the workforce comfortably; they should execute authenticity and remain empathetic to the happenings in the organization. Also, IT Directors will have all the necessary potential to ensure a fail-proof environment to function. They have capabilities to operate in a fast-paced, demanding environment; they should also work to learn and grow continuously. They should be able to bestow the confidence and trust in employees and ensures the best performance is achieved in operations (Freemanclarke).
Career paths expected from the person:
IT Directors should have extensive experience in the IT management division of the company. More than likely they should have started their career as an IT executive and then should progress through the hierarchy levels of module leader, a team leader as well as managerial position. Also, a senior management position should have been held by the person for some time. Experience and exposure are necessary to ensure the person is capable enough take on any challenges the position may present. Also, such exposure in IT functionality will enable the person to make the right decision at the right time.
References:
Earl, M., & Vivian, P. (1999). The New CIO-A Study of the Changing Role of the IT Director.
How to write an IT Director job description. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2016, from http://www.indeed.com/hire/it-director
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://xcentric.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/IT-Director-Job-Description.pdf
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.freemanclarke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CIO-CTO-IT-Director-Job-Description.pdf
Trite, G. (2004). Director responsibility for IT governance. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 5(2), 89-99.