The Top 10 IT Management mistakes and how to avoid them

Last year, I was singularly unfortunate to have a line management IT job. But it gave me a fascinating view on how technology management works. One of the things which I noted was how many times people commit the same mistakes over and over again, specially when managing IT. I got a nice document from TechRepublic and there was a list of top ten IT management mistakes. I printed it off and carried it around till now. The paper is falling apart so I thought of writing it out before it totally disappeared into pocket lint.

1. Focusing on technology and not the business - IT managers must become leaders and turn their focus to supporting and enabling business improvement
2. Thinking "out of sight is out of mind" - the most powerful task an IT manager can do is an assessment to track progress and identify opportunities / threats
3. Thinking that the team has it covered - when leaders delegate a job, they must make sure that it is done right. Following up is not micromanagement
4. Not inspecting what you expect - managers need to form expectations around key projects, network performance & client satisfaction, and track performance.
   
5. Not creating partnerships with business management - IT needs to act in partnership with business executives, to influence peers and leaders
6. Burning out - long hours lead to lower productivity and disgruntlement
7. Not testing backup solutions - breakdown in hardware are inevitable, so backups need regular testing, including disaster recovery and simulation
8. Not asking for help - the key to success is finding and executing solutions as quickly and cost effectively as possible, using available resources effectively.
   
9. Not devoting time to personal development - IT managers should devote at least 30 minutes each day to personal development
10. Not finding a mentor or coach - Everyone should have a mentor or coach and should also be mentoring or coaching someone else.
    

Quite an interesting set of points here and pretty worthwhile to print off and stick it in front of your eyes. I have stuck it on my wall and make it a point to read it while my sweet machine boots up every morning. Quite useful, as it so happens.

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!