IT Managment Maxims

Inspect what you expect - Primarily geared towards unit testing, but applicable in other areas, this point reminds us that we must always remember to verify what we think is true, rather than believing in a false reality. This point is different from checking on delegated tasks in that they are long term states.

Create backups and test them - The IT business is really quite scary since almost everything on which we rely is merely a thought of an electronic brain. No time is a convenience for data loss. Therefore, you must be regimented in saving and restoring data.

Dig up the skeletons - As a developer/engineer, I can sincerely report that most of the time, management is naive to the magnitude of problems that lie beneath the surface, festering. While a balance must be struck, these problems must be attacked head on, even if it isn’t always convenient to do so. Otherwise, they will infect all the stable parts of a system.

Devote time to personal development - Once an engineer becomes a manager, their knowledge of technology seems to freeze in time. Why must the engineer always propose the latest and greatest solutions? A manage should be able to keep up with the trends, at least from a high level, and propose them to their team of engineers. CTOs that write books are good CTOs.

As for help/find a mentor - No matter how smart or experiences we are, there is someone out there who is more so. Find them. Use them. Do the same for your engineers. You must be careful to allow your team to be creative, so find mentors who mentor, not take over.

Don’t burn out - Ah, my biggest shortcoming. I try to listen to this, I do. Perhaps when I am able to do it more than lip service, I will be able to move it to the top.