How do you collaborate with stakeholders you work with outside of IT to ensure that your team's work supports the organization's overall business goals?
The mission of IT is to support the business functions of the organization. The ability to collaborate with stakeholders outside of the information technology organization is critical for this role. As an IT engineer, you need to work closely with the business unit leaders to understand their needs and provide the services required by them to reach their business objectives. Collaborating with other departmental leaders requires patience, clear communication, compromise, and the ability to promote the benefits IT brings to the organization.
"I clearly understand that the role of the information technology organization is to support the company's business functions. To do this, I need to work closely with the other business unit leaders to understand their needs and recommend technology-based solutions to fulfill them. Clear and consistent communication is key to this objective. It begins with attentive listening and an awareness of their business challenges and what they're trying to accomplish. I then make recommendations for technology-based solutions which will help them achieve their goals. I often have to negotiate with them due to budget constraints, timelines, and other restrictions imposed by the business operations. I also need to promote the IT organization and the benefits we bring to the company to obtain the resources required to do our job."
