The interim manager was commissioned by a medium-sized company (SME) to take over the vacant IT manager position on a temporary basis and implement ongoing IT projects. The mechanical engineering company was undergoing restructuring.
Management had lost confidence in IT
A particular challenge in this mandate was that the management had lost confidence in the work of IT. The reasons for this were obvious: the IT department had not been managed in a targeted manner, there was no project controlling and no effective project management. The internal customers of IT had never been proactively informed and were therefore dissatisfied with the performance of the IT department. To make matters worse, an IT employee responsible for server support had resigned during the reorganization. As a result, another employee was completely overloaded.
Projects prioritized and IT activities restructured
The interim manager first talked to the IT employees to get an idea of the individual tasks as well as current and parked projects. This was followed by discussions with the department heads to find out their view of IT. Following an as-is analysis of the software and hardware, the IT organization and the upcoming projects, the interim manager developed the next steps. This included, for example, prioritizing the projects and eliminating non-relevant tasks and activities with the involvement of IT employees.
Briefs and project management introduced for IT projects
For the remaining projects, the interim manager created briefs on responsibilities, content and objectives, which created clarity for those responsible from the specialist departments and IT. He also introduced a simple project management tool. RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed) was chosen because it requires little training and is easy to implement in the company. For project management purposes, he also arranged a fixed meeting with the management every two weeks.
In order to be able to continue to guarantee server support, the vacant position was awarded to an external company. This resulted in controllable costs and a reduction in the workload of the server administrator.
IT evolved from a cost factor to an internal service provider
During the mandate, IT evolved from a cost factor to an internal service provider that actively participates in the value creation process. All high-priority projects were implemented quickly. The department heads were very satisfied with the processes and results.
During the mandate, the interim manager developed further recommendations for action and a strategy agreed with the management, which were set out as guidelines for the new IT manager. Once the new IT manager had been identified, the interim manager was entrusted with a further mandate to coach the new IT manager.
