Why develop Process and People skills?


Are your Process and People skills undernourished?

June 2007  Print

Steve Ross, General Manager - Dimension Data Learning SolutuionsBy Steve Ross
General Manager
Dimension Data Learning Solutions

In an environment where robust organisations are expected to exceed, grow and deliver their services more effectively, the foundation for which this can happen reflects back on the skills and ability of individuals.

There is an inherent risk involved in maintaining a solely techno-centric focus on skills development in an IT Department. Don't get me wrong, technology skills are undoubtedly important and IT departments are measured according to technology-related metrics such as the provision of services to the rest of the business.

The issue is that IT Professionals have so many things to learn, and learn well, that the development of Process Skills and Business Skills suffers. An ACS study found that the average IT Professional is only doing about one to five days of training a year, even though surveyed CIOs thought that five to ten days was more appropriate and the ACS thought that 20 days should be "set aside".

The dominant focus on Technology Skills means that opportunities to develop complimentary Process Skills (ITIL®, Project Management, PRINCE2™ and Business Analysis) or People skills (Time Management, Communication, Customer Service, Leadership and Presentation) are being missed.

This trend is not surprising as IT professionals don’t see themselves as employed to deliver a good presentation or to effectively manage their time. Their KPIs relate to technology and services. It may, however, be high-time for a change in attitude as there are definite returns to be made from training in Process and People skills streams.

A recent article by David Braue on ITIL (ZDNet - Who’s taking the ITIL bait?) tells that the Victorian State Revenue Office managed to cut its IT budget " …from AU$12m to AU$10m a year while improving its overall capabilities." Cutting costs while improving capabilities? It sounds great and the fact is there are companies that are achieving it.

What about Project Management? Like ITIL®, the Project Management methodologies (such as PMBOK® and PRINCE2™) are built around years of developing best-practices. While implementing these methodologies will not guarantee projects are on-time, to scope and under budget, they certainly reduce the inherent risk of cost and/or time blowouts found in many IT projects.

Likewise there are definite benefits to be gained out of People Skills training, which encourage efficiency and productivity gains amongst IT Professionals. Developing your business skills may not directly relate to your roles and responsibilities as an IT Professional, but they definitely help.

Peter Denning and Robert Dunham wrote in 2001 (PDF) that IT workers needed to pay more attention to value-generating (business) skills. They observed that business skills were vitally important in the effective development of customer-centric technology solutions that address business problems.

Denning and Dunham highlight the value of business skills for IT Professionals even more eloquently:

"...value-generating [business] skills will distinguish professionals from technicians ... every technical professional must be minimally competent in relationships with customers, internal and external."

DDLS operates on a “Balanced Approach” model for IT training, which advocates development in the areas of Technology, Process and People skills.

For more information about DDLS’ Balanced Approach to IT training, contact your Account Manager or the DDLS Customer Care Centre on 13 12 01.