ICT Management > Strategy & Planning

Making Decisions on ICT: roles and responsibilities

By Paul Ticher

Decisions on your IT policy, together with decisions on any aspect of IT which will have a major effect on the way the agency works must be taken at Board or Management Committee level. Whether the members like it or not, it is just as much part of their responsibility to take sound decisions about IT as it is about finance or the appointment of key staff.

Once policies have been put in place, or a broad strategy has been established, many routine decisions can be taken by staff, without reference back to the Management Committee. It is important, however, that decisions are taken within the framework of the agency's policies and overall goals. This means that the decision or recommendation often needs to be checked by the manager or someone who is aware of the wider strategic issues - again whether they feel technically competent or not.

Finally, there is a level of day to day management of IT which is appropriate to be delegated, as in the sample job areas shown in the box. Even here, it is essential that the person doing the IT management not be given carte blanche; they should be given clear targets and guidelines, drawn from the policies.

Example 1

In agency D the office manager is responsible for IT maintenance. The agency has a policy of replacing its computers every four years. When an elderly computer breaks down, the office manager therefore has clear guidance on how likely it is to be worth getting it fixed. It may be more cost-effective to bring forward the purchase of a new computer by a few months.

Which decisions are appropriate to be delegated may vary from organisation to organisation. The size of the organisation might be a factor; so might the experience of the managers or the time they have available. What is important is to be clear about which decisions can be taken at which level.

Knowing what is possible

One complicating factor is that many important developments have come about because of new possibilities offered by IT, rather than as a result of planning within agencies. For example, the growing use of electronic mail has happened more because the technology is available, than because agencies were crying out for a new means of communication.

Managers with no detailed knowledge of IT have to find out from somewhere what the options are, but without being pushed by the technical people into spending money the organisation can't afford on inappropriate developments.

Good decision-making therefore depends on an effective partnership between managers and technical people. This may require some changing of attitudes on both sides. Managers have to take on responsibility for IT issues and be prepared to take advice from technical specialists. IT specialists must be prepared to work with managers, to accommodate organisational issues and to talk to managers in their own terms without taking refuge in technical jargon.

Example 2

Agency E set up an 'IT Working Party' to develop its IT strategy. Meetings were dominated by technical discussion, and managers were reluctant to attend. The group was then recast as an 'Information Systems Working Party', chaired by a non-IT manager. Discussion was still centred on issues related to IT, and the technical experts were still able to contribute ideas of what might be possible, but the new framework helped to focus on the information needs of the organisation and the use of IT to achieve those ends.

Seeking Outside Advice

Many of the decisions on IT have to be taken by people who are not necessarily confident or up to date in their technical knowledge. Yet they cannot avoid responsibility for the decision. Managers should not be afraid to take things step by step, and to make sure that they understand the issues before making crucial decisions. In many circumstances the only option is to take advice. The question is: from where?

There are many sources of advice, but good impartial advice is always hard to find. The best advice will come from people who are:

• technically aware
• independent
• knowledgeable about your agency's activities
• concerned for the long-term well-being of the agency
• concerned about their own reputation as a giver of IT advice, and
• appointed through a clear procedure.

Sources of help to consider are:

• voluntary sector IT support agencies
• independent consultants specialising in work with the voluntary sector
• commercial agencies specialising in work with the voluntary sector
• sister agencies which have addressed similar issues
• your national or local federation or network

Example 3

Agency F has been plagued for a long time by an Honorary Treasurer who insists on spending finance committee meetings discussing which bank accounts they should use, in order to get the best return on grant cheques which are paid in advance. He won't focus on general policies and leave the day to day decisions to the finance worker.

When it comes to computers they find themselves in the same pickle: one member of the committee always wants to suggest that the agency adopts products and systems he is familiar with, even though he has very little basis for comparing them with others. Since this committee member is influential, only external advice has any effect on the rest of the committee.

Different ones may be appropriate at different times. The less formal your relationship with the person giving the advice, the more important it is for them to be responsible too, and to be clear about the extent of their expertise and any potential lack of independence. In some cases the paid manager may need something written by an independent external expert as a counterweight to Management Committee members who know a bit, but don't have the breadth of experience to be sufficiently objective.

What your "expert" ought to be able to tell you is:

• what are the leading products in this area of technology currently capable of
• what are the foreseeable trends for the next few years
• how could this contribute to the agency's overall aims
• what kind of money are we talking about
• what timescale and input of staff time would be realistically required
• both the pros and the cons, the risks as well as the benefits, of any proposal - and, to cap it all, the potential risks of not doing something

The manager has to ask key questions, and know which questions to ask - those above are a good starting point - in order to get advice which will contribute sensibly to the strategic policy decisions which have to be made.

If you feel at all unsure, ask people to explain any jargon they use, and don't be afraid to to get a second opinion.