LETTER TO THE EDITOR
William Rendle's letter 3 February 2005 'Blaming IT is too easy' has the wrong attitude in my view. You can't expect non-IT executives to break down each process fully. Nor should you want them to, unless you want your department outsourced. Such a task is a skilled job that at least some staff in an IT department should have.
The skill of the business process analyst is to help the business person understand the process by organising the information in a systematic way, in a specification, that can be understood and agreed.
It is not basic training in how computers work, that non-IT executives need, but training in information-based business process systems that are independent of technology. For example, recently in one meeting with a 500-1000 people company, where I was trying to get some IT Strategy consulting business, I mentioned business processes. The MD replied that 'business processes have nothing to do with IT Strategy.' In another company of the same size, a household name, the Financial Controller asked me what a business process was.
These concepts, which link manual procedures with computer programs are key in breaking down the barrier between IT and business. However, this won't happen with an IT Island mentality. IT needs to be proactive to help train these business people and position the department as a more business oriented service. Think about a name change. Instead of IT, consider using taking a leaf out of IBM's book, see 'IBM moves beyond services..' in the same issue. With a BPTS (Business Performance Transformation Service) department, when the MD gets the call from IBM, he'll say, no thanks, we've got a department doing that already.
Vic Lilley is an independent consultant. www.lilleyinfosys.co.uk
NOTE: This is the original text. The actual text published was edited down.
Director: Vic Lilley MIMIS
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