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Things you don't want to hear from a CIO

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    Things you don't want to hear from a CIO

    CIO "I just want to ask X"

    X is covered in the document.

    CIO "I stopped reading the document as it was too complicated."

    I wrote the document in an idiots guide style, with more screen shots than a comic, FFS
    Fiscal nomad it's legal.

    #2
    Then it was at the wrong level of detail. Screen shots are for a user guide, not a CIO overview.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by alreadypacked View Post
      CIO "I just want to ask X"

      X is covered in the document.

      CIO "I stopped reading the document as it was too complicated."

      I wrote the document in an idiots guide style, with more screen shots than a comic, FFS
      From RFC 2795

      A diagram of IMPS concepts is provided below. Non-technical readers
      such as mid-level managers, marketing personnel, and liberal arts
      majors are encouraged to skip the next two sections. The rest of
      this document assumes that senior management has already stopped
      reading.
      UNless they tell you otherwise CIO's typically want a management summary, preferable less than one page, that tells them the fundamental facts. We will do this. We will use this. It will cost us this. The outcome will be this. The business benefit will be this.

      Anything more than that and they tend to lose interest.
      Last edited by DaveB; 12 May 2011, 09:50.
      "Being nice costs nothing and sometimes gets you extra bacon" - Pondlife.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by alreadypacked View Post
        I wrote the document in an idiots guide style, with more screen shots than a comic, FFS
        Did you tell him/her that?

        Comment


          #5
          I was once drawn into a battle between IT and a senior manager.

          Manager claimed software was defective.

          I pointed out it was all in the spec.

          He said, "I never read the spec it was too complicated".

          I said "You signed it off".

          He said "I had to, otherwise I would never have got the system".


          The project got worse from that point.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by DaveB View Post
            From RFC 2795



            UNless they tell you otherwise CIO's typically want a management summary, preferable less than one page, that tells them the fundamental facts. We will do this. We will use this. It will cost us this. The outcome will be this. The business benefit will be this.

            Anything more than that and they tend to lose interest.
            A management summary should be no more than one page and easy to locate. It should be on a page of its own so that it can be photocopied without any extraneous info. I like to stuff them immediately after the TOC so that:
            1. management only has to read the first couple of lines of the TOC far to find out where it is
            2. management doesn't have to turn many pages to get there


            Got to make it as easy as possible for them to pass it up to the board reasonably intact. and hopefully without any wild promises added.
            Behold the warranty -- the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh away.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by thunderlizard View Post
              Then it was at the wrong level of detail. Screen shots are for a user guide, not a CIO overview.
              It was a user guide, the CIO wanted to use it.
              Fiscal nomad it's legal.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by alreadypacked View Post
                It was a user guide, the CIO wanted to use it.
                In which case he is a Knob. A pointy haired Knob at that. Maybe give him an Etch-A-Sketch instead?

                "Being nice costs nothing and sometimes gets you extra bacon" - Pondlife.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Things you don't want to hear from a CIO
                  The Indian team arrive Monday, please clear your desk by the end of the day. If you could help them settle in and perhaps carry their new computers, that would be great.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Sysman View Post
                    A management summary should be no more than one page and easy to locate.
                    So what's the difference between a management summary and a TPS report ?
                    Doing the needful since 1827

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