by Eric on November 13, 2009
The Quad Chart – The Executive View
THE DISCUSSION
I use a number of things to track projects; the Engineering Plan, the Stop Light Chart, and the Quad Chart. The Engineering Plan is the big picture tracking tool I use to track all projects. It’s more high level and has very little detail. The Stop Light Chart tracks each project down to the task level. To offer a very short and workable Executive level view I use the Quad Chart. The quad chart along with the Stop Light Chart are extensions of the Engineering Plan. They fit nicely together and are a quick and easy monitoring system for the IT manager. I especially like the Stop Light chart because red really jumps out at you.
Remember, delegate the work on these down to your team. (Some of you are hitting your forehead and saying of course delegate this down but some of you know exactly what I am saying.)
THE ACTION
-The Title should be self explanatory but should track with what is on the Engineering Plan and Stop Light Chart. Include what the project is and why it is being done. Something like “all switches in building 100 are past usable life and need replacement”.
-The Timeline should track generally with the Stop Light Chart but doesn’t require the step by step actions. Something like “install new network switches in building 100” versus breaking down by floor or switch node. Put a date in red if it is overdue.
-The Discussion would be key points that need to be reported. Such as “funding approved 2 July” or “switches arrived 1 August”. Highlight in red those actions that need management needs to remain aware. Again big picture items.
-The Current Status would be items that need to be reported since the last update. Highlight in red those actions that need management attention.
-Download your blank Quad Chart here.
HINT: Put all your projects quad charts together and present to your higher level manager. My supervisor is not technical and this provides him a fine overview of what is happening in his area of responsibility.
by Eric on November 6, 2009
Take the time to ask all the right questions. (This is the third of three posts on how I conduct the IT interview).
THE DISCUSSION
All of my interviews are all primarily behavior based interviews. Sure I ask the “why are you looking for a new job” and “where do you want to be at in 5 years” type questions but trying to determine how a candidate will react in certain situations is to me a key to hiring.
My best discovery was the book High-Impact Interview Questions: 701 Behavior-Based Questions to Find the Right Person for Every Job by Victoria A. Hoevemeyer. This book offers a great explanation on how to conduct a behavior based interview. But the best part is the author offers hundreds and hundreds of example questions. All questions are broken out by category such as customer focus, decision making, leadership, etc. The book even offers up examples of interview guides. This is something that every interviewer needs in his or her toolkit.
I use these questions in all of my interviews and I have a 100% “great” hire percentage for the ten folks I have hired since I started using this book about four years ago. In fact I have actually not hired about 3 candidates based on their answers to some of these questions. Prior to implementing the suggestions in the book my success rate was only about 75 percent. [click to continue…]
by Eric on October 30, 2009
Do you look the part of the IT manager?
I dress up for work. I always wear a long sleeve shirt and tie. On occasion I even wear a suit. Even though I don’t dress up too much since after all I am an IT guy.
Back in the day when I wore a uniform I had the choice of the green one or the blue one. Most of the time I chose the short sleeve blue one since it was cooler. I didn’t have any fashion sense but I really didn’t need any. The blue or the green one worked.
Then along came military retirement and a new civilian job. I now had to learn how to dress myself. Since my wife wasn’t the type to dress me and since they don’t make Garanimals clothes for IT professionals my wife decided to help me along with my fashion sense. She bought me two books:
Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion
Men’s Wardrobe (Chic Simple)
Both these offer a great overview on how to get a fashion sense. I also like the numerous hints such as wearing a black belt with black shoes.
Another great resource for those just starting out is J.C. Penneys. Most shirts show a matching tie. Don’t make the mistake of buying the same tie design in different colors. Not exactly Garanimals but the closest an IT guy can get.
Remember dress for the next promotion but don’t over dress for your current position. A Helpdesk manager shouldn’t wear $300 Brooks Brothers suits.
-DO IT NOW AND ENGAGE-
