The Pinoy IT Manager

Case by Ricson Singson Que

Submitted by: Marvin A. Matias

I.

Case Background

Mr. Emerson Siscar is an It Manager handling IT technical staff and supervisors for an educational institution. He has been in the IT industry for 15 years IT and has experience both from local and foreign firms. He has been assigned to head the newly formed IT Operations group which is responsible for providing technical support to both offices and computer laboratories. He was directed to set up the unit to ensure that IT services are efficiently provided. After a few months, the technical staff resigned one by one the main reason is that the institution cannot increase their salary offering which significantly affected the provision of IT services. The HR director said the increase in their salary offering will cause disruption in the salary scale. Overall, the budget for the IT department was reduced this year contrary to the fact that IT requirements of school increased. He was also required to provide enterprise systems aside from the computer units for various offices. He consulted with his previous colleagues but then they are also in the same situation.

II.

Statement of the Problem

How can Mr. Siscar manage IT operations group efficiently given the budget and manpower constraints he is facing.

III.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Areas for Consideration

Mr. Siscar has 15 years of IT experience. He handles IT for an educational institution The IT operations group to which he was assigned to head is new. His directive was to ensure that IT services are efficiently provided. His technical staff resigned one by one due to low salary offering The lack of manpower significantly affected the efficiency of the group Budget for the group was reduced. Mr. Siscar was also required to provide enterprise systems.

IV.

Alternative Courses of Action

ACA 1: Hire entry-level IT staff and seek help from student assistance program (if theres any) Hiring entry-level fresh graduates can address the low salary offering of the institution since they usually do not outright demand a high salary. Some of these graduates seek experience first than income. Also, if the institution is providing student assistance programs students that provides assistance to the institution in exchange for tuition discounts, Mr. Siscar might be able to ask for some needed manpower from them.

Advantages

1. Low cost most entry level applicants are amenable to the salary offering of the HR 2. The student assistance program can provide the needed manpower by the IT group and save the institution money because these students provide assistance in return for tuition discounts.
Disadvantages

1. The entry level applicants might not have actual work experience which might affect the IT groups efficiency 2. The help that can be given by Student assistance programs are limited to the number of scholars that are enrolled and available. ACA 2: Outsource the IT service Outsourcing the IT services can cost beneficial to the institution. The practice of outsourcing has been widely accepted and it can provide the institution a wider range of services.
Advantages

1. The institution can find a service provider that can match their budget 2. Flexibility and wide range of services that they can get.
Disadvantages

1. Implementation may take time, they have to look for a compatible service provider one with proper accreditation and can meet the standards, policies and procedure of the institution. 2. The institution is highly dependent on the support of IT services, therefore time is not a luxury. ACA 3: Initiate IT workshops and seminars for the employees and staff of the institution. Providing the basic IT information, troubleshooting through workshops and seminars will reduce the need to address minor technical problems and the IT group can focus on providing enterprise systems for the institution.
Advantages

1. The basic IT workshops and seminars can be conducted by the remaining team of Mr. Siscar therefore less cost involved. 2. The activity can be a means of empowering the non-IT staff of the institution
Disadvantages

1. Will take a lot of time and effort for the IT group considering the lack of manpower they currently have. 2. Will take a lot of time and effort for the non-IT employees and staff since they will be learning the basics of IT one session at a time.

V.

Conclusion and Recommendation

ACA 1 is recommended for Mr. Siscar. Entry-level IT graduates are more focused on getting experience than a higher income. This is advantageous to the HR as well given the salary allowance that they have for the IT group. Further, the student assistance program will give Mr. Siscar the manpower they needed. These students can be given basic IT training so that they can to provide some of the IT services for the institution. Since these students are scholars of the school, there is no need for salary allotment. Training the new IT staff and students assistants will be much easier and time effective than providing IT workshops and seminars to the entire community of the institution. Mr. Siscars experience will allow him to properly conduct the training needed for the new members of his IT group.

VI.

Action Plan

In implementing ACA 1 Mr. Siscar should: 1. Ascertain the number of staff needed for the IT group 2. Coordinate with the HR in the hiring process 3. Coordinate with the institutions administration about the availability of students in their student assistance program. 4. Gather the newly acquired staffs for the group and conduct a group training session. The duration of which depends on the level of work that will be assigned to them. Student assistants are not available all the time and should be trained on a minimum level only. 5. The newly hired staff should also be oriented on how the process of providing IT service should be done. 6. After training, the new ones can now join the IT group in addressing and providing IT services to the institution. The training should not last more than 3 days as the institution highly depends on them and these should be done as efficient as possible.