Boiling the IT Frog: How to Make Your Business Information Technology Wildly Successful Without Having to Learn Anything Technical

by Harwell Thrasher

Driving a car doesn't require knowledge of cylinder heads and compression ratios, and you don't have to understand software and hardware to make optimum use of Information Technology. It's the people managing and using the technology who are important - not the technology itself - and this is a book about those people, their limitations in coping with technology, and how they can better deal with those limitations. This book is for everyone who is frustrated with Information Technology, and for every non-technical person who is at the mercy of a seemingly uncooperative IT organization. It's for business people who want to better understand IT, and for IT people who want to know why their jobs are so difficult and unappreciated. Every manager, executive and knowledge worker in today's world uses information systems, and most of these people have a relationship - good or bad - with some part of an IT organization. This book gives you the information you need to improve your relationship with IT. And with that improved relationship, you can make your own job more successful.

194 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2007

Reviews

[Chuck Cova · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful look at the unique challenges (and opportunities) of managing/leading an IT business/organization. After reading it, I purchased a copy for each of my managers...

[Conlon Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another airport book. The ones in a pile in airport bookstores laid out for busy business travellers.

This one was good. The concept of bioling the frog -- put the frog in water and slowly turn up the heat. The frog never notices and eventually is boiled.

Same for us. Death by a thousand cuts. One more "favor." "It's okay, I'll do it this time." And always with the dread that someone one will consider you worthless if you don't roll over.

Don't roll over. Have policies that define your service. Stick to them. Explain them to the people you serve. Why you have tickets. Why things take time. How yor processes ensure great service.

Not a great book, but a great idea.

[Drew Mathers]

Explains Information Technology best practices in non-technical language