The Savvy Manager: Add Value to Your Business by Understanding the Business

By Mike Bohlmann

June 1, 2008 — (Page 1 of 3)

A key factor for good business-IT alignment is to increase your knowledge of the organization and its industry. There are a number of ways you can do that, and they focus on three areas: business in general, your organization’s industry and your organization. These are ideas that you should use and pass on to your staff to benefit the whole organization.

We have all encountered someone outside of IT who does not understand how computers work. They use the wrong words to describe things, or they might misdiagnose problems. Can someone in business say the same of your business knowledge? Is your business knowledge non-existent or could it use some fine-tuning in a specific area?

If you have never had a business class, you should consider taking one to get a jump-start. A business administration course will teach the basic areas of business management. Accounting might help you better understand subjects like double-entry accounting, accounts receivable, inventory accounting and perhaps some basics of reading financial reports. Business operations could teach you about inventory management, staff scheduling and applications of linear programming. Any of these will help you in talking to the non-IT folks in your company. If a class is out of the question, browsing the business section of a local bookstore might get you started, too.

With your basic understanding of business in general, you can start diving into your organization’s specific industry. For most industries, there is a plethora of information available including Web sites, trade publications and news coverage. To stay informed, you should read two or three pieces per week or as much as your time allows. Print publications are best for this because they tend to only print material on the most important issues. It is a lot easier to peruse a magazine than a Web site when you are trying to find something interesting to read. A query in your favorite search engine should be able to give you a place to start.

Related Search Term(s): Professional development

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The Savvy Manager: Add Value to Your Business by Understanding the Business

By Mike Bohlmann

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