company operates — are problems that don’t change too much over time.

3
the so-called
divide between it
and the business is a
misnomer.
tell good stories
(and have
good metrics).

Being able to explain how and where IT is adding value is a critical but frequently un-derappreciated skill. It’s not self-serving to broadly and appropriately disseminate stories about how IT is adding value; it’s a matter of survival. How will the vice president of marketing and the CEO understand the effect of IT

in terms that business leaders can understand: Minutes of uptime since last reboot, for instance, may not be as compelling a metric to executives as the number of customers finding product information online.

if someone doesn’t draw the connections for them?

Most business leaders don’t look at positive sales-growth figures and automatically think, “Good job, IT department!” However, if that sales growth has come from online channels and IT has been a partner in creating an effective and efficient Web presence, then some credit is due. Just be sure to tell the story

People can be taught IT skills and can learn the ins and outs of a particular industry, but it’s very difficult to teach common sense and the ability to learn new things. By the time most people reach the workforce, they either have these or they don’t.

4
hire good
people.

It has been Pfizer’s mantra for years that if you hire smart people, give them the tools to do their job, and measure and reward them on what is appropriate, then good results will more than likely ensue.

Operate With Excellence
Trying to tell someone how to “operate with excellence” is like trying to explain what makes the latest movie star cool — it’s
hard to describe, but we all know it when we see it. Here are some broad technical guidelines I T leaders should keep in mind:

stay currEnt With nEW anD EvOLving trEnDs. While gaining experience with each new release of every application on the market could be its own full-time job, all IT professionals should be familiar with advances taking place in both the technical and business areas in which they operate. This allows them to understand and relate their day-to-day work to their environments and to identify opportunities before they become problems.

usE currEnt tEchnOLOgiEs, anD MakE surE yOu havE a gOOD architEcturaL fOunDatiOn. Base development on the use of solid architectural principles ensures that systems are built with the rigor that is the foundation of a quality product.

usE a Mix Of currEnt anD EvOLving tEchnOLO-
giEs. a good system is one that works tomorrow as well as it
works today and can adapt and scale to meet evolving needs.

BE rEsPOnsivE tO custOMEr nEEDs at aLL POints Of thE aPPLicatiOn LifE cycLE. understanding the proper role of prototyping, rolling out, scaling up, phasing out and eventually decommissioning technologies show that you understand the customer’s needs and are being responsive by operating in a way that maximizes technology’s value.

₅

operate with
excellence.

The best-laid plans, a perfect alignment with the business and the best intentions can all be undone through sloppy execution. It should go without saying that the best way to engender confidence and convince people that they can rely on IT is to consistently perform and overdeliver on expectations.

While not exactly a check-list, these five points are what I continually use to check myself and ensure that I’m doing what is in the best interests of my company. They have been guideposts for how the IT department has developed at Pfizer over the past 25 years, and I hope they can be useful to you as well.

 

Vita Cassese is vice president of global business technology at Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals.