How I can help your business
I am available for interim assignments in the areas of IT management, project/programme management, team creation and remediation, and networking/LAMP technology areas, and can also introduce to you my personally selected associates according to your needs.
Recent assignments include:
- Restructuring a key escalation and provisioning team for a European network operator, completed with a planned migration of services to an offshore location
- Recruting a team of process and technical experts to provide a structured process for the support of new product releases
- Creating a three-year IS strategy, with budget planning and presentation materials
- Designing, procuring and building a global data and VoIP network using Cisco and Avaya technology
My full CV is available on request.
What is Interim Management?
A great deal has been written recently about interim management and how it differs from the more widely recognised contractor roles. The key differences are these:
Results focus - IT contractors, however good, can occasionally fall into the modus operandi of the team in which they are working. An interim manager, on the other hand, is working as a key part of your business to deliver on your defined goals. The experienced interim should ensure that success criteria are agreed up front and reviewed regularly, and will bring to your attention deep or complex issues to agree a way forward. Unlike a business consultant you won't just get a report from a position of detatchment, you will get the full attention of a focussed manager on the causes and solutions for any issues you are facing.
Taking on painful tasks - sometimes you may want to restructure a team or address performance issues for key employees, but you may be concerned about bad feeling or damaged staff morale when these tasks are performed by your permanent management team. In this case an interim can be useful to carry though tough decisions (perhaps advising on alternative courses of action) and then depart, taking much of the perceived "blame" from your staff members.
Experience - Interim managers are likely to be over qualified for the position they are taking on and will only "learn on the job" to the extent of becoming familiar with your unique business needs. They will also have past experience of similar challenges to the ones you need them to address. This not only reduces the risk of a poor organisational fit, but ensures that the interim approaches the challenge with confidence and the experience to back it up.
Accountability- rather than taking on a purely advisory role (as a management consultant would), interim managers are responsible and accountable line managers who will implement and manage a business unit, function or project in their own right.
Additional information:
Talk to me! Call Ian Finlay on +44 (0) 7714 835897 or email at ian.finlay@theitdirector.com.
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