Business Skills for IT Professionals

Objectives Who should attend Course Outline

MJ-1.0

What you will learn...

  • make the transition from a technical to managerial role
  • manage your time and resources more efficiently
  • fully understand the IT contribution to your enterprise
  • communicate, negotiate and consult with confidence
  • develop, manage and motivate any team of people

Who should attend

  • an engineer, analyst, administrator or technical specialist recently appointed to
    wider responsibilities
  • a computer systems manager responsible for implementing change
  • an IT executive involved in research, development and design with supervising
    responsibilities
  • in a support or technical role and wish to enhance your career opportunities.

Course Outline


The Business Skills Program is designed to enhance your knowledge through discussions using real-life examples. The program investigates the key elements managers require and provides an overview of the subject of management.

An introduction to 21st century management techniques

  • Reviewing what business you are in
  • Transitioning to technical management roles
  • Knowledge versus business contribution


Customer service philosophies

  • Adopting a customer focus
  • Customer perceived results
  • Visioning and leadership
    • quality customer service
    • establishing service levels
    • adopting new ideas

Getting things done

  • Planning
  • Direction and goaling
  • Solving problems through simplification
  • Achieving results through others

Resource management

  • Skill, knowledge and expertise acquisition and development

Task management

  • The six-step improvement model

Responsibility for the bottom line

  • Making jobs and functions pay their way
  • Identifying value added

Improving your performance

  • Four-step model for self improvement

Handling bureaucracy

  • Learn to work with your manager

Management tools

  • Spreadsheets
  • Presentation tools
  • Document management
  • Knowledge bases

Decision making

  • A proven four-step model


Communicating

  • The art of technical communication
  • Understanding the customer expectations
  • Common misunderstandings
  • Selling ideas
  • How to speak out on touchy subjects
  • Model for leading successful meetings

Developing team skills for management

  • Selecting and developing teams
  • Know the eight work types
  • Understanding and encouraging motivation
  • Delegation and empowerment
  • The delegation dozen
  • Managing conflict on the job

Improving negotiating skills

  • Meeting both sides needs and finding common ground
  • Establishing emotional bridges

Building consulting skills

  • Listening versus selling
  • Analysing complex issues
  • Organising information
  • Joint solution development
  • Communicating findings and  recommendations
  • Change management and exploiting opportunities
  • Assisting customers in managing their IT investment

Recognising competition

Internal and external competitor