The first step in managing an IT team is to create a clear value proposition statement. This statement aligns the needs of the organization, the needs of the team, and the needs of the individual. The statement is then used to make downstream decisions, to identify ways to drive up benefits, and identify ways to drive down costs.
The value prop statement that I use is the unity of business value, team passion and interest, and team skills and knowledge. (Wikibon has a Venn diagram that illustrates this relationship here: DevOps — One Team, One System.) The nexus of these three areas are the hotspot where we focus our time and attention.
IT work in the hotspot drives either top-line growth or reduces costs on the bottom-line. Put differently, business value means activities that enable other business units to drive revenue, enable other business units to cut costs, or enables my team to reduce the IT budget. That is the business value side of the equation.
On the passion and interest side, providing engaging work is essential. Check out last year’s salary survey from Information Week and the question “What matters most to you about your job?” Your opinion and knowledge are valued (40%), challenge of job/responsibility (39%), recognition for work well done (31%), your work is important to the company’s success (22%), ability to work with leading-edge technology (21%), and ability to work on creating “new” innovative IT solutions (20%). The personal side of the equation is having a fulfilling and satisfying career.
In sum, the first place to start when managing a team — and the first place to start with this series — is developing a clear value proposition. This must delineate benefits from costs while aligning the team with the business. In my way of thinking, the benefits come from working within the hotspot. The costs come from working outside, in areas that are not driving business value, are not of interest, or are outside our skill-set. In the next few articles, I will return to this concept and explore it in more detail.
Wolfgang
Books. I picked up on this value proposition in 2001 from Jim Collins’ book Good to Great. Definitely a must read for building teams and organizations.