mip's scan

Strategic Planning Is Not a One Time Event

I had one of those shake your head moments a few days ago that has remained with me and so I thought I'd put fingers-to-keyboard in an attempt to flush out some thoughts and put the incident behind me. 

It stemmed from a a series of comments someone I was speaking to made with regard to IT Strategy.  This person was treating the whole exercise as a one time event.  For example, if you were developing a 24 month IT plan for example - you do it, get it set and then "who needs strategic thinking between the start and end".  You don't, apparently, you simply "follow the plan".  

I take issue with this approach.  True, creating a strategic IT plan is an event; there is a process to create one properly.  The thing is, to effectively manage IT in an organization, you must go beyond that single event of creating the plan.  Strategic planning is a process not an event unto itself.   Once the plan is created, the day-to-day decision making while tactical in nature does at times require one to step back and make decisions strategically.  The strategic plan that you create is not a recipe from a cookbook.  One of the key elements is ongoing strategic governance and decision making.  

To not approach managing IT as a strategic process causes you to become paralyzed by your plan.  Your IT plan becomes rigid and the decisions you make based on that plan can often be the wrong ones if you don't have the ability to approach things strategically.  

Take a cruise ship for example, out on the the ocean.  There is a plan for getting from point A to point B, but it takes a skilled captain to know what types of course adjustments to make along the way when a storm presents itself out in the distance.  It takes years of navigating the seas to be able to decide when to pull into port and when not to.  The captain allows his crew to carry out the tactical day-to-day operations, but he jumps back into a strategic mindset when the moment requires it.  That is a lot like governing IT.  You have your plan, yes, but you need to be able to think strategically to manage the technology, the people, and the processes.  You need to know when to let your crew do their thing, and you need to know when to step in and make strategic decisions.  You need to know when to push back on end users, but you need to recognize that it is the business that drives IT.  Your business changes, sometimes unexpectedly.  You have to be able to adapt your plan to those dynamic aspects of the business or risk driving down the value of IT in your organization.  IT strategy isn't something you read from a book and then follow to bake the perfect IT cake.  If you do approach it that way, well, you may find your ship dashed against the rocks when a storm arises.

Testing the Rogers Rocket Wireless Stick

Over the past year I’ve looked at technologies that allow me to work effectively while on the go. For connectivity I’ve often relied on WiFi access points that might be found at vendor offices, client locations, hotels or coffee shops. While often these resources work out, they aren’t always ideal. Many times, when I needed connectivity the most, that was the time I just couldn’t get a WiFi access point to work effectively. 

That is why, some time ago I decided to pickup a Rogers wireless USB modem also called Rogers Rocket Internet. This device from Rogers is a Novatel piece of hardware that is like a slightly oversized USB memory key. I usually keep in my bag or sometimes even in my pocket. When needed I simply plug it into the USB port to get it up and running. So, what has the experience been like?