1. An IT manager requests an amount of funds to upgrade the e-mail server. Without the necessary upgrade, the server will be burdened by the sheer amount of e-mail and will run the risk of crashing. The business manager denies the request, citing the past reliability of the server, and expresses concern at the recent large IT expenditures. The business manager leaves the conversation wondering what IT investments are really necessary, and if the IT manager is just creating "job security." The IT manager, likewise, leaves the meeting frustrated at not having the tools he/she needs to do the job properly. The IT manager knows that when the server crashes, it will be his/her responsibility to fix.
a. Do you think this happens often in business?
b. What perspectives do you think each are taking on the problem?
c. How could each have communicated those perspectives and business needs better?
2. Government service departments are deeply burdened by the amount of data that they hold and process. Interview someone from a service department and draft a short essay. Service departments that must sift through vast amounts of data are those that deal with, for example, missing persons, child protective services, DMV, and tracking of persons on probation following a crime. You should include, but are not limited to, topics such as:
- What is the department's (or person's) job?
- What kind of data do they collect and analyze?
- What kind of analyses do they do on the data?
- How much information do they collect, from whom, and what programs do they use?