What would you do if your data were lost or stolen? More importantly, what would your boss do if the company’s data were lost or stolen? Most businesses these days understand that data is an asset, but there are a few still out there that don’t reach that conclusion until it’s too late.
Data is what makes the wheels of the organization turn. Operations, tracking, reporting, personnel – it all relies on accurate data to…well, produce more data. So if business assets are traditionally managed as part of the business operations, how is this particular asset being handled within your company? Does it fall solely to the IT department?
After all, the design and application of technology solutions to address business problems has traditionally been within the domain of the IT department. And if the responsibility does lie within the IT department, does it then filter down to one distinct professional – do they actually then “own” the data?
After all, data is stored in one or many systems and the ability to input, manage, and tag information is an ever-increasing balance of practical knowledge and professional development. It is quite simply staggering to consider all the ways that data and metadata can be sliced and diced in a business setting in the name of research, forecasting, planning, marketing and more. And that brings us full circle to the question of who “owns” all that data being managed.
Sure, it’s all proprietary to the business, but who is it within the organization that takes ownership – or better yet, stewardship – of it all? Is it IT? Is it those who know what the actual data represents, the heads of each area of the business? Or is it a combination of those? A team of people working together, squeezing every last ounce of value from the myriad of systems across your enterprise..
Successful companies are finding advantages to breaking down silos and bringing the IT folks to the table for more and more discussions. Data management should be a priority across your entire organization. What are you doing to make this a reality at work?
SAP implementations have long been the bane of many an IT professional’s existence. Day after day, week after week, month after month of status reports and repeatable processes are enough to suck the life out of anybody.
Are you a strong Agile leader?
Do you have what it takes to be a strong Agile leader?
We talk a lot about the potential for productivity in an Agile environment, but what if the scrum master isn’t much of a leader? That can kill productivity in a heartbeat. So what does it take to lead an Agile project? Here’s what we think.
Knowledge of Agile Practices & Principles
You’ve got to know where to start and where to finish and how to get from one to the next. Experience with Agile methods, preferably in a variety of scenarios, is irreplaceable. After all, the scrum master is the person that coaches the team on the process and techniques to follow and to keep the team moving in a forward progression. In addition, your work values must align with the core principles of Agile: openness, teamwork, flexibility, etc.
Clarity of Vision
You must inspire team members by painting a very real picture of what the future should look like. This step can be mistaken for “doing it all yourself”, but it’s not. It’s merely setting the stage for some really cool work to happen between the starting line and the finish line.
Communication skills
A crystal clear vision of success means nothing if you can’t communicate it to the rest of your team. You’ve got to be able to make a compelling case for your plan.
Listen and Respond
Your strong vision may be enough to get people on board at first, but there’s no way you can make it happen alone. To keep everyone involved and invested in a project, you’ve got to show them that their thoughts, ideas, and questions matter.
Focus
In an Agile environment, productivity is at its height when your team is working on one goal at a time. You can’t let yourself or the team become distracted without affecting the outcome
Teach them what you’ve learned
Think about how you became well versed in Agile. You either had a great example to follow or someone who mentored you along the way. Developing a goal and bringing others along to help make it happen isn’t easy. Pass it on if you’ve got the skill.
Confidence
How you carry yourself and how you respond to questions, even challenges, tells your team a lot and it can be the difference between them coming along with you or jumping ship.
So these are characteristics of an Agile leader. But you know what? If you take away the first one, you’ve got the makings of a great leader in any environment. Let us know if we missed anything here, and keep working on those leadership skills. Think lean, act agile, and lead your teams to success.