I was in IT for almost 40 years, many of them at manufacturing companies. After graduating from UW-Madison with an electrical Engineering degree, I dove right into working with computers. Stints at a couple of universities led to working at 3M in their IT department. I had jobs in both the system/network administrator track and the software developer track. I also worked outside IT for a while in project/product management. I was a consumer of IT services during this time, which gave me a view from the other side of things.
I’ve worked at medical device and food companies so I am familiar with the regulation and tight processes that permeate everything. I’ve worked at materials and light assembly companies where there is a large number of products, each with low volume.
Regardless of the similarities, every organization is unique in products, services, and most importantly, the market and culture of the company. These last two have a major impact on what an IT department does and how we do it.
I wrote the IT Director books later in my career as a way to share some of what I have learned, usually by making mistakes the first time. The IT Leaders’ Handbook was the first book I wrote and was written for other IT Leaders that were looking to up their game. Full of useful information in the foundations of IT as well as Business, People, and Technology, the Handbook as continued to be a good seller. I should note that I don’t cover any specific technology, but rather how Business and IT should think about applying whatever technology is under consideration. Therefore, the book will be evergreen.