When we work in information technology, we tend to think of ourselves as technology people. Even when we are promoted into management, we still consider ourselves technologists and engineers. What many of us in technology fail to realize is that managing an information technology department is very similar to managing a business. All the same things that a CEO must do in order to effectively manage an organization, a CIO or information technology department manager must do as well.

To clarify the point, an MBA student studies the subject areas to prepare him or her to run a business. Some of the areas that an MBA student studies are: Strategy, Operations, Finance, Product Management, Marketing, Organizational Management, Supplier Relationship Management and Risk Management. All these disciplines are part of managing an information technology department.

    1. I.T. Strategy - What is our plan to increase internal and external market share and accelerate the rate at which we deliver value to internal and external customers?
    2. I.T. Operations - How effectively do we deliver our products and services to our customers?
    3. I.T. Finance - How much does it cost to run our department? What is the expected and realized ROI of the project portfolio?
    4. Product Management – How do we deliver value to our internal and external customers that increases our internal and external market share?
    5. Marketing - How effectively are we selling to, and servicing, our internal and external customers?
    6. Organizational Management - How effectively do we recruit, select, hire, onboard and manage our employees, contractors and consultants?
    7. Supplier Relationship Management - How effectively do we buy the things and partner with the organizations who help us to achieve our goals?
    8. Risk Management - How effectively do we anticipate, communicate and mitigate the risks we face while delivering products and services to our internal and external customers?

It is easy to forget how substantial the role of a department manager can be. The role of an information technology department manager is especially critical given how important technology is to every business. For every one of the 8 areas, you need a plan with a 1 to 3 year window. If you are not focusing on each of the 8 areas that ensure that your department is ready to succeed today and positioned to grow going forward; there will be gaps in how prepared your department is for its strategic opportunities and market threats.