5
The Laudato Hierarchy of IT Needs

Most people believe that the only thing IT does is implement software to reduce costs or increase sales. When I say “most people,” I don't just mean grandmothers and schoolteachers; I mean CEOs, CFOs, and even CIOs.

Listen to the questions you'll get in an interview:

  • Tell me about a project that was successful.
  • Tell me about a project that failed.
  • What's your direct experience with XYZ software?

Here's what they should be asking:

  • How do you measure system uptime?
  • How should IT measure customer satisfaction?
  • What strategies did you use to reduce IT costs?
  • What's the process to determine what projects IT works on?
  • How important is culture to IT productivity?
  • How do you cultivate and nurture innovation?

While creating value is the lifeblood of an IT Department, it is only possible when a solid foundation is in place.

Back in school, we all learned about Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs.5 Maslow postulated that in order to achieve love, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization, you first need to satisfy your basic physiological needs — eating, drinking, sleeping — and then your safety needs. If these basic needs aren't met, you will never reach your full potential.

For an IT Department to reach its full potential, I devised a similar model, the Laudato Hierarchy of IT Needs, shown in Figure 5.1.

Schematic illustration of Laudato Hierarchy of IT Needs.

Figure 5.1 Laudato Hierarchy of IT Needs

© 2017 Andrew Laudato All Rights Reserved Hierarchy of IT Needs

You can't fall in love while you're being chased by a bear, and you can't deliver value to your company if your systems are crashing, and your costs are out of control. The most important task for any IT Department is building, maintaining, and supporting a secure and reliable foundation.

We'll call this keeping the lights on, or KTLO for short. If you think KTLO is someone else's job or something that gets in the way of innovation, you're going to be in trouble. If you think you'll get a seat at the table when the emails aren't emailing and the financial reports are wrong, you're sorely mistaken.

Imagine trying to add a sun deck to your house while your kitchen is on fire. You're happily nailing down the floorboards while your spouse and children are inside screaming. It's not a good look. Obviously, the urgent will outweigh the important, and rightly so. If you're dreaming of having a glass of wine outdoors while the sun sets, you need to get your house in order first. Put out the fire, and then start working on your deck.

Note

  1. 5.  A. H. Maslow, Motivation and Personality (Harper & Brothers publisher, 1954), 411 pages, ISBN 978-0-06-041987-5.