Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Information Viewpoint
\Come in, Ivor," Marcus said. \You want to talk to us?" He was sitting not
behind his clear, stylish light-ash desk, but by a long table under the window,
which supported a huge flat screen and was covered in piles of reports, pert
charts and trade magazines. Eleanor was already occupying one of the chrome
and leather visitor's chairs. Ivor took the other and turned towards Marcus.
He looked tense.
\I think we need to talk about how we organize things. This new approach
is changing the balance and our way of working, and that has consequences.
I've been Compliance Ocer for three years, and I've been very happy to be
responsible for seeing that we had the right type and quality of information to
fulfil our statutory obligations. I came into the current project with that brief,
but the information modelling that is going on here is much more central to
the design activity. It just doesn't t under compliance."
Marcus and Eleanor exchanged glances. \Yes, we can see that," Marcus
said, leaning back in his chair. \The emphasis is changing and we must make
the organization respond. What do you suggest we should do about it?" \Well,
I think we should establish a new responsibility for creating and maintaining
the necessary information models. It will need dual reporting, looking to both
the CIO and the Compliance Oce to ensure all the requirements are covered."
Eleanor looked at her folder of notes. \I agree we need a new responsibil-
ity," she said, \and that it needs the muscle to make our developers take the
centrally defined types seriously. But the skills needed are about maintaining
a repository that plays an active role in the development, not a monitoring
role. We should pick one of our proven developers who is sympathetic to
the approach and give them the brief of establishing the necessary processes.
They would need at least two sta reporting to them initially."
Marcus stood up and walked over to his desk. \OK, so we are in agreement
that a new structure is needed. I don't buy the dual reporting idea, though;
that kind of structure has all sorts of problems. We will bring the new position
in at planning group level, reporting to the CIO, like the other development
and operation leads, but with an obligation to get model sign-off with your
people, Ivor, before key design commitment steps." Ivor was tight-lipped, but
not devastated; he had expected this ruling, but he knew in his heart that
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