Dear Bob: ...
I manage a smaller-sized IT shop that has a number of specialties in it. This requires a great deal of trust on my part since I am not the technical expert at everything we do.
[ Also on InfoWorld: "In the midst of a tough assignment, don't be undercut by employees" | Get sage advice on IT careers and management from Bob Lewis in InfoWorld's Advice Line newsletter. ]
We started a data warehouse project a few years ago, and I began by hiring who I thought was a solid technical person to initiate the effort. The project initially went well, but I started to feel like it wasn't progressing like it should. Last year, I asked my best operational manager to lead the effort. We later added a second technical staff member to the project.
As you know, data warehousing is a highly technical field that requires knowledge on a number of fronts. I was concerned that my operational manager would struggle to become comfortable dealing with people who perceived themselves as experts; sadly, that was the case. He asked to leave the project. I complied and don't fault his effort at all. He is a solid leader.
Since that time, I have done some digging into the project and, in my opinion, have found some core flaws. I am left wondering if I did not offer the proper vision or direction, even though the entire reason I hired an expert initially was to tell me how to do data warehousing right.
So now I am left with doubts on the direction of the effort, and I am not technically expert enough to suggest a complete solution. My first thought was to bring in an independent consultant to do a one- to two-month evaluation of the entire project, along with a plan to move it forward. The expert would be someone who has been through multiple implementations. Of course, now I am left wondering how I would know if the consultant was really an expert.
- Warehosed
Dear Warehosed ...
My first question is about the technical expert you initially hired to lead the effort. I see three possibilities:
If the answer is No. 1, then putting your ops guy in charge was the wrong decision. It would have caused bad feelings without fixing the problems.
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