IT Essentials: Growing pains

Growing up is hard. Growing out is harder.

IT's role and influence is expanding, but don't think it's an easy ride.

Birmingham has a long and storied technical history. As well as playing a major part in the Industrial Revolution, the city has been pivotal in developments of everything from the whistle to the mass spectrometer.

Unfortunately, that legacy doesn't mean everyone in the city understands technology - which is a problem when they're the one pushing for new tech.

Earlier this week, Birmingham City Council said its £100 million Oracle Fusion implementation was partly responsible for its declaration of a Section 114 notice, meaning its expenditure is higher than its revenue.

The Oracle system was chosen not by an IT specialist, but the Council's former deputy leader - who has an extensive background in the public sector, but no technical expertise.

I took the chance to talk to IT leaders about the issue at our IT Heroes Roadshow, conveniently in Birmingham, this week.

The general feeling was that more IT involvement could have minimised the problem - but at the same time, an admittance that IT is not always the easiest department to work with.

Tech was already a growing force pre-pandemic. Since these teams kept the world running in 2020, they've enjoyed greater influence and even a seat at the boardroom table.

But that brings its own requirements. Technologists need to know how to talk to business leaders to secure budget and, more importantly, support for their decisions.

Would you rather have a board member who nods a project through without understand it, and balks at staff pushback; or one who takes time to understand the requirements and will fight your corner, even if their top sales person argues against it?

Nearly every technologist I've talked to this year has echoed those sentiments. Clearly, IT is moving from the backroom to the boardroom, but moving is never easy: there are growing pains to navigate before a new status quo is established.