Inchoate Curmudgeon

Constructing content for IT workshops is almost always best done by casting the objectives against two key approaches:

• Cast the content and delivery in the context of the classical design, develop, test and implement engineering cycle components.
• Cast the delivery in the context of classical optimization exercises, or more modern 6 Sigma DMAIC or DMADV elements.

For example, an IT workshop covering an IT consolidation initiative should be treated like any optimization exercise. You start with an understanding of where you are and where you want to be, develop methods for measuring your current baseline and determining success, and work though design alternatives that achieve the targeted success criteria.

For consolidation, the baseline consists of a thorough, documented accounting of the current infrastructure assets, applications, IT tools, operations processes and operations capability. The target or target scenarios look at the gaps between the current landscape and the desired landscape. Workshop activities can then be cast against any or all of these elements: understanding the measurable goals, exploring the pro’s and con’s of technical alternatives, discussing mechanisms and procedures for uplifting operational capability where required to support the target state, etc.

This approach, along with the assumptive role as a element in a change initiative, facilitates the proper construction of workshop attendance.

• You need the smallest number of people required to have enough subject matter expertise to tackle the subject matter
• You should have the audience most likely forming the Kotter style “guiding coalition” for the initiative.

Given the complex, multidisciplinary nature of IT initiatives, typical ideal “guiding coalition” attendees include:

• Sr. System Administrators
• Sr. Network Administrators
• Application Architects
• Sr. Security Administrators or Architects
• Sr. Database Administrators
• Sr. Application Infrastructure Architects and Operators
• Business Application Owners
• Executive Sponsor

Ideal workshop attendance should result in a total “guiding coalition” head-count of between 5 and 7. Additional head-count should be expected for subject matter expertise as well as facilitation skills.

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