1. Keeping Up With Technology
Evolving Your IT Leadership
Knowledge and Capabilities
Dave Cunningham
Shareholder, Baker Robbins & Company
dcunningham@brco.com

2. Business
Influences
Technology
Department Services
Technology
Leadership

3. Focus on the Business
Influences and the
Technology Department
Services

4. Business Influences on
Legal IT
MDPs (multi-disciplinary practices)
MPTs (multi-practice teams)
Cross-office Teams
Mergers and Acquisitions
Knowledge Management
Portals
Cost Containment

5. Upcoming Influences
Supply Chain Management
Services ROI
E-Business Strategies
Seamless online/offline experience
Sound like GE 5 years ago?

6. IT Leadership Benchmarks
Corporations
International Accounting Firms
Some U.K. Law Firms
Some U.S. Law Firms

7. Types of IT Organizations
Infrastructure and Staff Churning
Tactical and Practical
Network + Consulting
Executive / Client Focused

8. Basic Pillars of
IT Effectiveness
Operational Integrity
User Support and Training
Communications/Managed Expectations
IT Staff Skill and Effectiveness Mgmt
Project Management
Vendor Management
Planning and Budgeting

9. Advanced Pillars of
IT Effectiveness
Practice Support
‘Quality/Integrity of Information’ Mgmt
Value Management
Risk Management

10. Traditional IT Skill Sets
Server and PC Technicians
Help Desk
Application Support
Managers

11. Evolving Skill Sets
Traditional Evolving
Server/PC Practice Support Consultants
Help Desk Developers
App Support Project Managers
Managers Security/Disaster Recovery
Facilities
Business Analysts
Information/Process Mgmt
Knowledge Mgmt

12. Focus on IT Leadership

13. Leadership Roles
Executive Director
Partner-in-Charge of Technology
Technology Committee
e-Business Team
Practice Leaders
Committee Leaders: Library, New
Business, Recruiting, etc.

14. Technology Staff Mgmt
Role
From support to business liaison
From reactive to proactive
Level of Involvement
Reporting Relationships
Peer Relationships

15. Keeping Current
1. Have a broad context
2. Surround yourself with good people
3. Build-in check points

16. 1. Do you have Context?
First, look backwards!
Look around.
Then, look ahead.
Examples:
Looking backwards: VAX to NT
Looking around: Other industries

17. Understanding Business
Issues
David Maister (www.davidmaister.com)
Richard Susskind
Vault.com
Forbes and CIO Magazines
American Productivity and Quality
Center (www.apqc.com)

18. Keeping Current on Firm
Issues
Executive Meetings
Casual Lunches
IT/Attorney Briefings
Tech Committee Agendas

19. Keeping Current on
Products
Downplay the role of a product
Don’t let salespeople intimidate
Leverage briefings
Software/Hardware Vendor Briefings
Consultant Briefings
Internal cross-training

20. Training
Information Management
Bill Inmon
Knowledge Management
Project Management Institute

21. Training
Practice Support Consultants
Developers
Project Managers
Security/Disaster Recovery
Facilities
Business Analysts
Information/Process Mgmt
Knowledge Mgmt

22. 2. Surround Yourself with
Good People
Leveraging the Brains and Experience of
Others
Hire and train well
Leverage vendors properly
Keep involved throughout the firm
Keep involved in the industry

23. 3. Ensure Checkpoints
User Surveys
Client Surveys
Peer Assessments
Technology Assessments and
Benchmarks
Strategic Planning

24. Follow-up
Links to favorite books on business and
culture management issues
Follow-up questions
Dave Cunningham
Baker Robbins & Company
713.840.0510
dcunningham@brco.com