From: Mike Barker <mbarker@mit.edu>
To: itlt, serve-it
Subject: What Do I Want to Say on August 15?
--------

[a rough draft of some answers for the week after next.  perhaps it will
help foster discussion.  mike]

I'd like to be able to tell people

1.  This is what the new I/T is going to look like.
2.  This is how we're going to get from here to there.
3.  This is what it's going to take from each of you.

I think many people are hoping to hear:

1.  This is where you work.
2.  This is what your work is.
3.  This is who you talk to about it.

--If the new era of the I/T was here, what would that look like?

Let's be completely honest and admit that over the next year, for most
of the people in IS, it is going to look very much the same as it does
now.  There is NOT going to be a "flag day" or "bastille day" when the
organization suddenly changes.  No dynamite, no phaser beam from outer
space destroying the old structure and making room for the new.

Instead, there will be replacement and conversion of existing
organizations into teams.  In many cases, this will look more like a
change in label than a fundamental change, especially at first.  

I think as the I/T framework takes hold, we'll see more existing
structures "falling apart" and being replaced with team-based
approaches.

This process has already started.

Down the line, when the I/T framework is really kicking in, we expect
to see people applying their skills on various teams, wherever they
can contribute the most towards the processes which the teams are
supporting.

Some people may "hang their hats" in a continuing team for some time,
spending relatively full time working there.

Others may wear various hats on several teams, ranging from short-term
task/crisis teams to longer term project teams.

Some may get and wear a special hat from their competency group leader
to show that they are working on learning new skills (technical,
management, etc.) to make them a more effective player for the teams.

One of the goals of the I/T era is to avoid "pigeon-holing" people. If
someone is working 39 hours a week on one task, we want to give them a
way to use that extra hour on productive, effective work.

If someone has skills that aren't being used, the new framework should
let them exercise and use them.

-How are we going to get from here to there?

To some extent, while I wish we could provide clear guidelines and
steps for doing it, we can't.  We're asking people to change from
their present working organizations to a proactive, team-based,
empowered environment.  It seems clear to me that if management (or
any small group) tries to lay out every step of that transition, the
transition has already failed.

I think we can say that the ITLT expects to go to every part of IS
between 8/15 and 12/15--to help them design and develop their own
working teams.  Further, between 10/15 and 12/15, ITLT expects to
start pointing some of these working teams at other working teams to
build synergies, crosslinks, and other transitions.

By 12/15, most (or all) of the existing I/S organizations should be
well on the way to reforming as teams.

When someone has trouble with the new I/T team framework--send email to
itlt@mit.edu, call xxxx at 25x-xxxx, or visit Mike Barker (E40-342a).
The door is open, and we're working on it.

-What is it going to take from each of you?

First, you're going to have to continue the work you are doing now.
Many of you are in services vital to the continued work of MIT, and we
will NOT let those services stop during the transition.

Second, you're going to have to take some chances.  You have skills,
abilities, and maybe some dreams.  The new framework is intended to
let you grow while giving MIT the most effective use of your skills
and abilities.  But you are going to have to stand up and take a
chance on the new teams, speak out, and take responsibility for making
the new framework go.

I don't think we can make the transition happen without extra work
from lots of people, without some mistakes.  You are going to have to
take those extra steps and let us know where the problems are.

-Where do you work in the new I/T era?

It depends on the work.  Some teams may have permanent desks and other
spaces, typically due to "fixed plant" assets that need team members
in close physical proximity.

Other teams may not have any allocated space, simply using common
facilities--offices, meeting rooms, etc.--of the I/T team.

One point that I think has caused a lot of concern--there are five
processes in the new I/T framework.  They are discovery, integration,
delivery, support, and service.  The process leaders for these are
part of the ITLT.

Many people have wondered which process the Athena Release Team (for
example) is a part of.

I believe the correct answer is that it reports to the ITLT.  It does
NOT "belong" to a process or a process leader, although I do expect
that several of the process leaders will have an interest in the work
being done as part of that team.

Other teams may focus on work which more clearly falls into a single
process--but even they should NOT report only to the process leader.

Just as an example, any time an idea, a project, or a team takes
something to the ITLT, some of the following questions might come up,
based on the various "roles" people on the ITLT have:

    has anyone done a cost-benefit analysis?  (discovery)
    have we considered these new technologies?  (discovery)
    how will this fit with other parts of MIT? (integration)
    how much effort will be involved in development? (delivery)
    what will it take to support it? (support)
    what will it take to keep it running?  (service)
    do we have the skills needed?  training?  (competency group leader)
    do we have customers that need this? (practice leaders)

In a sense, the ITLT is the "first team" of the new IT era, and should
operate as a team.

-What do you work on in the new I/T era?

Three things.

First, you work on whatever MIT needs which matches your skills.  One
of the main ways of doing this is:

Second, you work on whatever your team(s) need you to work on.

Third, you work on building your competencies.

In the new I/T era, you are going to be able to do work in many
different areas. The only limit on what you do in the new I/T era is
your desire and willingness to explore the "space" of I/T work being
done at MIT.

One goal of the new I/T era is making sure that you can work on teams
and projects across the whole "space" of I/T, instead of just in your
local organization.

-Who do you talk to about your work in the new I/T era?

Again, there are several answers.

In relation to your work on teams, there will be team leaders.  In
most cases, these will be the primary contact for you to talk to about
your work, including performance appraisals.

You should also feel free to talk to the competency group leaders
about your work, in particular about how your work fits into your
career and goals.

You may also want to talk to the practice leaders, especially if you
have new ideas for services and customers.

You could even talk to the ITLT, especially if you find reasons for new
teams to be formed, split off from old teams, or for old teams to be
changed or decommissioned.

Frankly, in the new I/T era, there should not be any shortage of
people to talk to about your work.  You may even find yourself wishing
you could go back to just having one boss.

Incidentally, while some team leaders may be selected by the ITLT and
then form a team, in time the leadership of the team may be "passed
on" to members of the team.  Other times, teams may form, "elect" a
leader, and then be "confirmed" by the ITLT.  I.e., we expect team
leaders to both "bubble up" and "be assigned."

mike