IT Best Practices

Tom Witt has a B.S. in mathematics, with a minor in coaching, from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. He has worked in the information technology (IT) environment for almost 30 years. Early in his career, he moved into management for 14 years before entering the project world, in which he has held the titles of office automation manager, project manager, technical manager, technical lead, architect, and system analyst. Most of Tom’s experience has been in the insurance industry in addition to three years in the magazine fulfillment business and three years at an institute of higher education. Tom has worked on a wide range of projects; he has been a part of the development of new mainframe systems, new web systems, and vendor-purchased imaging systems and system remote workers across the country as well as part of a small team that reengineered a business division for a major insurance company. Many of the projects on which Tom has been involved have affected changes—as many as 200 different systems—throughout the entire enterprise. Tom has acquired knowledge not only through personal experiences but also from outside sources such as external consultants, seminars, books, and a personal network of people. More importantly, he was put into many different types of project and situations that allowed him to apply the many different concepts and knowledge acquired to see the results from a front-line perspective.

Management Best Practices. Five Disciplines of System Thinking. The Effects of Management on Subordinates. Management Types. Crisis Management. Jack Welch and Management. Robert Greenleaf and Servant Leadership. Management Wrap-Up. Business Model. High-Performance Teams. Quality. W. Edward Deming, Father of Quality. Process Engineering. Lean Management. Six Sigma. Workplace Efficiencies and Distraction. Technology. Contractors. Defects. Knowledge Acquired So Far. Project Selection Criteria. Project Characteristics. Effects of Project Failure. Controlling Failure. Project Methodology. Project Phases. Implementation. Postimplementation. Factors That Affect Projects. Project Methodology. Project Management Improvement.