The Art of War

Information Technology Management

Functions of Management

• To forecast and plan• To organize• To command or direct• To coordinate• To develop output• To control – in the sense that a manager must receive feedback

about a process in order to make necessary adjustments and must analyze the deviations.

Principles of Management

• Division of work• Authority• Discipline• Unity of command• Subordination of

individual interests to the general interest

• Remuneration• Centralization• Scalar chain• Order• Stability of tenure of

personnel• Initiative

IT Management

• Is the discipline whereby all of the information technology resources of a firm are managed in accordance with its needs and priorities.

• These resources may include tangible investments like computer hardware, software, data, networks and data center facilities, as well as the staff who are hired to maintain them.

• Managing this responsibility within a company entails many of the basic management functions, like budgeting, staffing, change management, and organizing and controlling, along with other aspects that are unique to technology, like software design, network planning, tech support etc.

The Art Of War

• The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician.

• The text is composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare.

• It is commonly known to be the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time.

The Art of War Cont.

The Art of War - IT Managers

• Is a conceptual strategic approach to managing IT environments and create active processes improvement for IT Managers.

• Tactics need to be applied to the tasks of IT managers

The Art of War - IT Managers Tasks• Conducting detail assessments and planning.• Carrying on to address the challenge in hand. • Plan how one will address the issues. • Position the consultants with the right skill to address the problem. • Utilize all the forces in hand to complete the goal or task. • Identify weaknesses and strengths of work, environments, and personnel

around the supported clients. • Maneuvering through resolving the problem at hand. • Address the variations and adaptability of environments and teams. • Manage and develop the team. • Understand the environment, analyze the situations encountered. • Put a stop to faulty solutions that create problems with extreme actions that

improve services.• Continue using the gathered information to improve processes.