its kinda annoying that competence is abstract to most society. What I do in my job is not considered competence:
What I do
1) Organize and Document everything. Actions, Plans, Requirements, etc… people say documentation is a tedius and low level thing. But I know managers and executives who dont read reports or do any sort of analysis. They get the emotional or social cues without any technical context. Or there are executives who think the Technical or Social Context is beyond them and thus blindside themselves to that aspect.
They believe their mind is infallible and thus dont document.
2) Now that I’ve documented and organized all the Data – Determine Actions and Outcomes. Basically back and forth – work with outcomes and actions and what additional inputs I need. This is tedius. Prototyping or Iterating over and over again to meet a budget, a risk threshold, a timeline, etc…
3) Communicate, Communicate, Communicate – gather information and actively listen (I remember explaining active listening to the OJTs where they didnt perform any of the active listening points i explain: give a non-verbal response per input – by either showing their webcam listening or opening their mic to respond, OR writing what people are saying in the google sheet). I feel so sad that it was not picked up and when they talk to me – webcam open, writing on our log their concerns, and asking them questions to clarify is being made.
4) Control (which includes Montioring and Communicating to affect or redirect resources and efforts). Within my authority I plan and control actions i am aware of. IT in the company is the least understood, while I am the Plant director – i let the plant manager and the COO run it – because no one has attention for the IT matters particularly the Data Protection ACt, ISO 27,001, Accounting Migration etc…
What I DO is not for everyone or every company… but it is DEMONSTRABLE.
Whats its funny is that a FUNCTION that is effective is considered “INCOMPETENT” because its not what THEY need, not what the situation needs. While i dont want to give everyone too much the benefit of the doubt to the point of having no action to take, INQUIRY and understanding is the action I respect and expect.
Lately I’ve reviewed our costs
Our IT costs are about 10-12M php (200-240k usd) or lets peg it around 11M a year with the following context:
1) 2M I really have no control over and is not really used by our Company. Its under watch because no one seems to be watching it. I hope I can hand it over to another person my boss has in store soon.
2) 270 PC users in the company.
3) 10M of PCs and IT assets ammortized by their USE LIFE of about 8 years to about 1.2M/year php (24k/year usd).
4) A large chunk of this is the internet, next is Google Licenses, licenses for security and networking, the licenses for controls and monitoring.
Additional Future Costs
ISO 27,000, 20,000, Data Protection ACt of the National Privacy COmmission of the Philippines, will add about 0.5-1M php project costs and operating costs of 0.6-0.8M/year (a level of IT is 4 years like in Traveller, I need a level 3-4 and a level 2 which i have a 10% chance of getting or a Difficulty 11 vs our HR’s Recuitment resources of skilled 1); But im expecting a Level 2 to level 0 with Biz Analysis and communicaiton skills.
COSTS I hope to get:
2x level 0s at 500k/year (php). TO help with daytoday so the IT can focus on more documentaiton and planning.
Dedicated Corporate Communciations 350k/year (php) – 60% IT presentations and organizating our WIKI.
the OPEN SOURCE nature will reduce our trianing costs in the future especiallsy as I want the IT to take on OJT apprentices. Even if they feel like theyre not mentor material, the rubber duck debugging is practied with the OJT as well as someone they can practice their communications skills and soft skills on. the OJT will in turn get access to a sustainable biz practice: OPEN SOURCE systems.
I want really focus on just iT and OPen Source. To basically get to the point that every 3 months we are training a bunch of OJTs to roll out ERPNEXt and all the IT skills for a company based on our practices. From NEtworking, Administration, Security, and Biz Analysis. That every OJT comes out familiar with all and capable in a few – but most of all able to figure out anything they dont know.
We are not an island, and I want to collaborate with other Open Source companies and support them by refining their processes and learning from them.
by the time my brain may shutdown by 45-50 and probably ancestral dementia kicks in I’ve transfered all my knowledge to its future successors. Hopefully I’m lucky that the one that will make the dream of a self sustianing open and accessible IT to uplift people will be help more people when my faculties are half that it used be.
A local louise rossman would emerge who champion open source, repair, in the developing world of here and others.
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