It Ain't Rocket Science A Common-Sense Guide to Making IT Projects Work: How to find and fix the underlying people, process, and business problems that cause the majority of technical issues - Softcover

Cooper, Susan C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1530232414 ISBN 13: 9781530232413

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

Synopsis

While many consultants cheer when clients fail at managing their IT woes internally, IT consultant Susan C. Cooper thinks it’s time to stop pretending and actually start addressing the issues at the heart of organizational dysfunction.

Unlike other consultants who happily line their pockets by telling clients what they want to hear, Cooper believes that identifying root causes of problems—and then tackling them head-on instead of blaming the software—better serves everyone!

In this hilarious, accessible, and incredibly useful guide, Cooper distills over twenty years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies into a collection of technology-related problems and roadblocks experienced by most organizations. By willingly talking about the elephant in the room, she empowers C-level officers and managers to confront these issues and find tenable solutions.

Written in plain, easy-to-grasp English and authored by a consultant who has truly seen it all, It Ain’t Rocket Science can help you identify and fix the self-defeating behaviors that consistently stymie your efforts at successful IT projects and operations, identify what a great CIO means to your business, and give you the confidence to deal with the technological issues faced by your organization.

About this title

About the Author

Susan C. Cooper became a technical consultant and architect over twenty years ago through a serendipitous route.

After graduating from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BA in English, she quickly realized that without a teaching certificate, she was likely going to starve to death! So in 1993, in the midst of a fairly serious economic depression, Cooper spent a miserable year working as a temp. This position, however, opened her eyes to the tremendous autonomy and freedom enjoyed by IT support personnel and set her on a new trajectory.

After teaching herself the basics, Cooper landed a job providing support for the new Windows 95 operating system. From there, Cooper launched a successful career in IT consulting that has taken her around the globe and provided her the opportunity to work with numerous Fortune 500 companies.

Review

Five Stars!
Indie Reader Verdict: IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE is eye-opening, entertaining, and highly educational look at technology.  

A no-nonsense approach to solving IT problems turns out to be easier than anyone in the business sector could possibly imagine.

Cooper shares humorous stories from her twenty plus years as a technical consultant addressing the elephant in the room in the business sector--why no one tells the truth in IT. Focusing on how company missions often impede the effectiveness of IT issues, the purpose of Cooper's practical guide follows a fourfold purpose. Aside of demonstrating how to ward off preventable IT deployment problems, Cooper also identifies and addresses types of behavior and processes that cause the majority of IT issues. There is also another aspect of IT work that is often not mentioned in troubleshooting and that is telling the truth about Fortune 500 companies. Lastly, Cooper demonstrates "how IT leadership is fundamentally different from the typical chief 'x' officer (CXO) function and why it requires a different kind of CXO than your typical "thought leader."

Cooper is not one for mincing words. Speaking from experience, Cooper explores the common situations that create more problems than solutions, and they are not necessarily hardware, software, or firmware issues. Her straightforward narrative takes a stark look at the non-technical issues-people, processes, and business problems that "overshadow and block efforts to complete effective IT projects, implementations, and goals." For examples, Cooper describes the misbalanced structuring of companies, such as deployment (local versus outsourcing), as well as the lack of diversity among gender, race, and qualifications. Each chapter follows a step-by-step approach keeping to a threefold design that presents destructive and counterintuitive situations followed by storytelling and then closing with realistic solutions. Backing up factual information with plenty of sources that also dubs as additional reading material, Cooper wraps up her quick and user-friendly read by summarizing topics into a practical checklist intended to be used and shared widely.

IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE is eye-opening, entertaining, and highly educational look at technology.

~IndieReader
indiereader.com/2016/08/practical-solutions-technical-problems-aint-rocket-science-common-sense-guide-making-projects-work/#disqus_thread

From the San Francisco Book Review:  Star Rating: 4.5 / 5
We've all been there. You're stymied by some sort oftechnical issue, and, despite management getting everyone and their motherinvolved, there seems to be no solution from IT or anyone else, for thatmatter. The issue has been talked to death in meetings, hours and hours havebeen spent trying to get to the core of what caused the problem, and asexhaustion and frustration set in, you're right back where you started. Does ithave to be this way?

No. Categorically no. At least not according to Susan C. Cooper,and after reading It Ain't Rocket Science, Ihave every reason to agree with her.

Subtitled "A Common-Sense Guide to Making IT ProjectsWork," Cooper's handbook takes an interesting tack -- presenting the ideathat most problems involving IT and personnel are less about misunderstandingcomputers or technology and more about bad communication between people,whether those people are IT, staff, or managerial. Cooper takes us throughnumerous real-world examples of these situations, quickly identifying the keyelements behind each scenario's problem and laying it clear for all to see, inthe hopes that we'll be able to avoid the many obstacles and trespasses she hasencountered during her career.

The phrase "ruthless efficiency" comes to mind, and Imean no disrespect when I say that. This book is 64 pages of concise, easilyparsed, reliable advice and content. It's idiot-proof, even considering theimpressive idiots many of us encounter on a daily basis. Cooper attacks theanti-efficiency bugbears of massive meetings and micromanagement, as well asthe false idea that all outsourcing saves money and helps companies in the longrun. She even sets a hard baseline number for what IT people should be paid.Whether it's proper tracking of information and responsibility, demystifying ITby eliminating unnecessary jargon, or even how to handle the sociopaths thatyou'll encounter in office settings (take it from me, it's a more frequentoccurrence than you'd suspect), Cooper pulls no punches, offering hard truthsthat will make your company leaner and stronger. Unlike most books that definethemselves as "common sense guides," this is not full of obvious,no-duh concepts. Cooper provides solid reasoning for every point she makes(especially the ones that seem counterintuitive at first glance), and neverwastes her time stating things we already know. She directs and reinforces; shedoesn't condescend, overstate, or take you by the hand. It's pragmatic andhonest through and through, something we desperately need more of in thecorporate structure on all levels. And despite strong worlds, hard truths, andsobering revelations of the many issues plaguing companies today, Cooper stillcomes off as amiable and sincere in her efforts to help. Her professionalism ismatched only by the laser-sharp humor that peppers the book. It may not berocket science, but Cooper still makes it all sound easy.
Reviewed by Glenn Dallas

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1530232414
• ISBN 13: 9781530232413
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 70