What can go wrong and why?-Lack of knowledge or fear of computers in management, can result in IT departments having a free run. Possibly resulting in overly "techie" minded IT departments rationalising and justifying upgrading to the "latest and coolest" software or hardware without considering organisational goals, financial concerns or even the true relevance of the application etc.-Poor forecasting of initial/ongoing costs related to maintaining or upgrading existing systems.-Resistance within the organisation to change/under use of new and existing systems.-Lack of communication resulting in inadequate/inappropriate changes.-Poor support/training structures.-Poor integration between systems, both new and existing.-Lack of planning resulting in over running time and budgets.-Hardware/Software failure, resulting in loss of information, loss of time, or total closedown.-Security compromise, by way of virus, hacking, or internal security breaches.-Lack of flexibility, or compatibility with potential expansion/upgrades.-Possible complication rather than simplification of processes.-Staff abuse of company resources, for example by way of unauthorised web use.It is clear from the above risks listed that it's preferable and advantageous for management to be comfortable with general computer usage, and educated on what's involved when it comes to implementing and maintaining new IT policies, procedures and systems. In the first place, management needs to be able to make educated decisions or to be able to sign off on any that come before them in an informed fashion. Failure to do so may leave management at the mercy of other departments. This also assists in researching and monitoring costs, risks, benefits, and complications etc of any new potential development in the area of IT. Research being an important factor in it's own right to help prevent poor integration of systems, promoting flexibility and future compatibility as far as is possible, and preventing bad predictions regarding time-frames and budgets.Management also needs to be able to carefully consider who should be in on the brainstorming preceding any new development. Making special consideration for various heads of departments, IT representatives, and end users of the new or improved systems. This serves many purposes. The obvious one being... who better to tell you what is needed from a system, than someone who is using its current alternative system, be it paper or out-dated PC. A second and possibly the more important purpose of such liaisons, is to bring more people onboard, creating interest rather than resistance, and a more open-minded attitude to the new developments.Training! Hardly needing any explanation, training is obviou...
