How to grow an IT manager in high school?

In preparation for the 2012 Summer Analytical Festival , this article was born, which raises the following questions:

• Who are IT managers?
• In which universities can they train?
• What should they read in high school?
• How to prepare in high school employee for your company?

Both before startups, and before companies that have long and successfully been running a business, there is a dilemma: to look for a ready-made specialist or to grow it within one’s own walls. And we, in 1997, starting our own software business , also almost immediately felt a shortage of software vendors, consultants and project managers. The alternative proposed by us, on the one hand, requires some effort and time at the initial stage, and on the other hand, it allows you to get a qualified specialist.


The main question : Is it possible to grow an intelligent IT manager in high school?
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The most frequent answer is : No, especially considering the current level of higher education and the frantic market demand for qualified IT staff.

A survey conducted by the department of APU St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University in 2010 among 30 St. Petersburg IT companies showed that they mostly prefer to grow managers on their own, mostly from programmers and other technical specialists. The IT manager is an interdisciplinary specialty, so the cultivation process will be long, laborious and extremely expensive for companies. Unfortunately, no one sees any alternatives yet. The level of training of specialists in Russian universities leaves much to be desired. Old educational programs, faculty members, who give the theory of twenty years ago, and the lack of practice add up to an extreme amount in the Russian market of sales managers for solutions and complex technical systems, system and business analysts, as well as other information technology managers.

Runet is replete with articles of headhunting "experts" about how to obtain and retain qualified professionals. The councils are reduced to enticing prospective employees from colleagues, paying wages above average on the market, constant motivation with interesting and non-routine tasks. But personally, I do not understand how such wonderful options will help to increase the number of qualified specialists in the market.

Our answer : Business needs to establish interaction with technical universities.

First, let's define the terminology.

What is an IT manager?

manage ch. total to lead; to manage; to manage; stand at the head; to be able to handle
manager noun total supervisor; administrator; director; manager

The “manager” repeated the fate of many borrowed words, somewhat losing the original meaning and acquiring new shades. So, the townsfolk, and many IT professionals, are called managers of any office worker. For clarity, refer to the official classifiers and other authoritative sources.

Long-written, but still valid document :


Professional IT standards

It cannot be said that they are perfect, but it is absolutely possible to rely on them in the process of determining the requirements for specialists.

Statistics

Tsifir opposite each position - not a salary.

IT headhunters
focus on needs and well-established market statements, for example

Habrahabr
Habr's authors prefer to managers
And we, in turn, will not cancel or correct the wording established on the market, we will try to comb them a little. Summarizing and systematizing the data, we have the following table:

Wednesday	Control object	Position
Business processes	Consulting and Sales	Customer Service Manager (software), Sales Manager for boxed and custom software
	Project management	Web project manager, Software Development Project Manager
	Quality control	Software Testing Manager (manual and / or automated) Quality Manager / Quality Engineer
	Marketing and PR	Marketing Manager / Marketing Specialist / Marketing Analyst, PR manager
Information systems / products	Site	Content Manager / Site Administrator
	Software	Software Development Manager / Product Manager (Software)
Administrative division	IT department	CIO / Head of IT Department / Information Technology Manager
	HR	HR Manager
	Secretariat / AHC	Office Manager / Secretary

Thus, the IT manager is an information technology specialist, managing not only people, but also business processes, software products and other information objects and company activities.

With what managers are, sort of sorted out, let's look at what their activities are and what, respectively, they can and should be taught in high school. Let us turn again to the APKIT standards.

Information Technology Manager

List of duties:
1. Management of internal projects
2. Interaction with customers / suppliers of products and services
3. Coordination of the work of system analysts, programmers and other specialists
4. Quality control of work performed
5. Control of filling in the necessary documentation
6. Analysis of current reports and preparation of interim reports
7. Ensuring information security
8. Order the necessary equipment and materials
9. Self-development

Sales Manager solutions and complex technical systems

List of duties:
1. Maintaining a customer database
2. Document management
3. Keeping a register of customer details
4. Record keeping
5. Demonstration of the capabilities of IT products
6. Documentary support of transactions
7. Informing customers about the conditions of warranty and post-warranty service
8. Informing customers about the terms of delivery
9. Informing customers about new products.
10. Search for details of potential customers
11. Obtaining and updating relevant knowledge in the region. IT
12. Compliance with the principles of corporate culture
13. Self-development

Thus, we have the following basic disciplines for managers :

• Managing SRS Software Requirements.
• "Designing Information Systems",
• "Project Management Standard ANSI PMI PMBOK",
• ERP / CRM Corporate Information Systems,
• "Corporate Content Management ECM (EDM / ERM)",
• "Organization and management of ITIL infrastructure ITIL / ITSM"

In which university to read it?

At LAF 2012, several colleagues from other cities shared their experiences, including negative ones. In particular, the following points were indicated:

• IT managers are poorly received from the humanities;
• It is very difficult and ungrateful to prepare IT managers at “programmer’s” departments and faculties; nevertheless, they go there for the sake of programming;
• Economists make good managers if they read the IT disciplines in the proper amount;
• And uniquely good specialists are obtained from “system engineers”, they are read about control theory and many other old-school, but highly essential subjects for managers, and they are also taught to think with systems, “squares / block diagrams”, control objects;

And experience, the son of difficult mistakes ...

Our company ALEE SOFTWARE was lucky. The fate of our academic base in the 90s was St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (LETI), the Department of Automation and Control Processes (AAP) . The department is one of the leading departments in the Russian Federation in the field of applied theory and design of control systems based on modern information technologies, the base department of the Ministry of Education and Science in the areas of "Automation and Control" and "Management in Technical Systems".

Students we read the following disciplines:

Course "Project Management ANSI PMI PMBOK"
Academic Partner : Agilidea Group
Theory : a standard from the 2005 version to the 4th edition. Courses: basic (bachelor), risk management, cost, duration, quality (masters)
Practice : selection of an IT project, justification, charter, division into work, calendar and resource planning, planning of risks, quality, etc.

Course “Managing SRS Software Requirements”
Theory : “Developing Software Requirements” by Karl Wigs
Practice : Choosing topics, defining the image of project boundaries (business requirements, solution vision, boundaries and constraints, business context), project protection

The course "Designing Information Systems. UML
Preferably after the SRS course
Theory : Introduction, history, fundamentals, structure of UML, further diagrams:
Details: use cases, classes, activity states, sequence, deployment
Overview: component interactions.
Practice : Simplest projects with known processes (online store, online certification of documents, etc.)

Course "Electronic Document Management ECM: EDM / ERM"
Academic Partners : ALEE SOFTWARE and EMC Documentum Corporation
Theory : Document & Records Management
Practice : Documentum platform, electronic archive STOR-M

Course "Corporate Information Systems ERP / CRM"
Academic partners : Compass company
Theory : Reorder point inventory management, MRP / MRPII, just-in-time, Goldrath's Theory of Constraints, ERP. Separately, the theory of customer relationship management
Practice : CRM

I deliberately do not touch computer science with programming, databases and other basic disciplines for IT people: they are quite successfully read without us. The list is not complete and not final, curricula are constantly being updated and supplemented by new courses.

The most important part of the business for the article:
The new scheme of two-level education allows you to take on the "free" internship of masters of the first year of study, who received basic theoretical knowledge in the bachelor's program. According to the new educational standards, the master is obliged to pay up to 20 hours a week to research work (R & D).

During the first month of the master's program, the student should decide on an approximate topic, choose a supervisor, draw up a plan-content of a master's thesis, as well as a research plan, which is carried out under the supervision of a supervisor and supervisor of the magistracy. Chosen a place of practical training. By the way, the supervisor may be external, then the curator may be appointed by the department.

Passing practical training, for 4 semesters the master must collect enough theoretical, methodological and practical material for writing a master's thesis.

Seven Steps to Growing IT Crystals

So, we analyzed our own experience and the experience of St. Petersburg IT companies, which also successfully grow managers in universities. We offer you the following steps that must be taken if you want to join our slim ranks.

Step 1. Business Presentation
In advance in July-August, a pool of companies interested in new employees is beaten up. In September, meetings with bachelors of the fourth year and masters of the first year of study are held. Usually these are two meetings: the first is held at the university, the second at the company's office. Managers of the company talk about the main activities, interesting projects, open vacancies and opportunities for professional growth in the company. Preliminary lists are lined up (who goes to internship where), consultations with teachers on applicants are held (performance, discipline, communication skills, etc.)

Step 2. Conclusion of a contract with the university (department)
The formal side of the question. Since the department or faculty are not separate legal entities, a partnership agreement is signed with the university. On the basis of this agreement, the issue of free student work is closed.

Step 3. Admission of students to practice
Preparation of the workplace, the selection of the curator-mentor, reporting.

Step 4. Student recruitment
At this point, many questions are asked: “When to arrange an intern for a bid? After all, a student may not show the result even in half a year or a year! ” That's right, when he starts to show the result, then start paying. This is the value and fairness of this scheme. You do not pay until the specialist has started generating added value.

Step 5. “Thank” University
The participation of the university in this scheme is not disinterested, otherwise, such a partnership will not last for more than a year. Options: teacher remuneration, participation in the educational process, logistics, etc.

Step 6. Improving the skills of existing employees of the company
While you are waiting for the autumn harvest of interns, you can improve the qualifications of existing staff by sending them to advanced training and retraining courses. And to order courses arranged specifically for your business tasks, we practice this in high school.

Step 7. Marketing and PR
In modern conditions of the labor market, it is not companies that choose employees, but vice versa, therefore participation in educational programs increases the rating of companies among applicants. Accordingly, such PR and HR-branding is useful for companies, and especially for universities.

Cons of this approach:

• A waste of time by qualified staff in teaching and mentoring;
• Delayed results of cultivation specialist;
• The need for business to negotiate with the heads of universities, to encourage them to cooperate.

Advantages of this approach:

• A large amount of necessary theory and practice is given still on the student's bench;
• Savings on salary: taking on the practice of a master in an agreement with the university, the company is not obliged to pay salaries;
• Participation in curriculum development;
• It is possible to choose a candidate for a long-term contract;
• Teacher recommendations;

Over the years of work, we have been convinced of the effectiveness of the approach to training IT managers described in the article. Of course, much needs to be improved, which we do all the time. We invite you to discuss:

1. / for teachers and employers / What courses, in your opinion, should future IT managers attend at a university? What would you add to the list of disciplines given in the article?
2. / for IT managers / Which courses you listened to turned out to be really useful for your professional activity? What theoretical and practical knowledge do you lack in your current job? What do you think you should have been taught at the university, but not taught?