Revision of Functional Competencies from Mon, 11/03/2008 - 15:54

Posted Wed, 10/22/2008 - 04:20 by Erik

Also available in MS-Word format: Functional Competencies Bio

This highlights two levels of competencies. The first are "table-stakes" - required to be considered as an IT Leader. The second are "differentiators" - to stand-out as an IT (and business) leader.

Table-Stakes Competencies

Personal Passionate team collaborator always seeking individual, group and organizational improvement. Ambitious, goal-oriented problem-solver who is inclined to develop innovative solutions and take smart risks to achieve results. Natural team leader, coach and mentor. Develops relationships and communicates effectively at executive, functional leader and contributor levels. Uses strong intellect and problem-solving skills to frame concepts/issues, break down problems and synthesize components into holistic solutions. Strong personal integrity. Works comfortably with a wide range of personalities.
 
Strategic/ Business Quickly understands the "business of the business" - how it competes, delivers value and makes money. Designs and improves Business or IT Operating Models, including: Strategic Plan/Roadmap, Products & Services, Operating Processes & Metrics, Governance & Management Structures. Develops new business opportunities and manages key client and partner relationships.
 
Operational Manages IT Programs and Projects for both management initiatives and technical solutions, including Agile and other forms of rapid software development lifecycles. Defines IT Services and how they deliver and measure value to businesses. Manages vendor relationships. Manages group and organizational budgets. Conducts frequent/continuous business process modeling and improvements. Models and improves Information Architecture, including how key entities are affected as they move through business process flows. Uses leading Enterprise 2.0 practices and Web 2.0 technologies to breakthrough age-old collaboration/productivity issues.
 
Technical Excels in a broad range of roles in the development of IT-based solutions, including: gathering business and functional requirements; architects platform-based approach to application and infrastructure components; develops database models and integrates disparate solutions together. Works with a broad range of mainframe, client/server and Internet-based technologies supporting processes like: business development, sales, supply chain, customer/employee self-service, identity management, content management, business intelligence.

  

Differentiator Competencies

Change Management and Leadership Development

 For an organization or strategic initiative, assess the competencies and degree of change required. Define the key enablers/barriers to organizational change. Carry out educational workshops, “action learning initiatives” and other interventions designed to improve the likelihood of achieving desired changes with minimal distraction from on-the-job priorities.
 

IT Strategy and Operating Model

 Design and lead strategic initiatives to develop and implement an IT Strategic Plan/ Roadmap. This often entails capturing/representing the Business Strategy, IT’s strategic intents, assessment of IT’s organizational capabilities, and the implications of these on the IT organization. As part of an IT Strategic Roadmap, refine the IT Operating Model. This includes redefining the Capability/Process Model, IT’s Product/Service Offerings, and IT’s Organizational Model.
 

IT Value Management

Define, measure and manage the business value/impact of the IT organization and IT-related investments. This includes three critical IT organizational capabilities:

  • IT Portfolio Management – define how IT spend is categorized (e.g., Run, Grow, Transform), make investment decisions based on business priorities and enforce results accountability
  • IT Program Management – measure and manage nonrecurring IT investments based on business impact, instead of time/scope/budget
  • IT Service Management – define recurring IT investments in “business language” as well as technical terms, determine performance and future investment in terms of business impact
     

Enterprise Architecture

Redefine the IT landscape in four distinct architectural views: (1) Business Processes, (2) Information, (3) Business Applications, (4) IT Infrastructure. Implement an Architecture Management Capability, including: architecture domains, decision-making roles, architectural components, and the architecture management lifecycle used to make investment decisions.