Dr Jim Anderson, of The Accidental IT Leader recently posted an article talking about the growing trend of high turnover in IT, and the realities that IT leaders need to face with it.

While I agree that specialization needs to reduce in IT departments, and cross-training is key, one of the keys to retention is to have people constantly growing into new roles. When you plan and focus on growth throughout your department, it’s much easier to have the best talent stay engaged. (more…)

It always amazes me just how many IT departments believe they’re “doing a great job”, but don’t actually  know how they’re doing.  Without gathering feedback from end-users, it’s hard truly understand the quality of service provided. Creating an open feedback loop builds a stronger relationship with end-users, gathers measurable feedback on IT performance and helps to improve overall service levels. (more…)

Warning: this post contains geek content that may be inappropriate for some readers.

Normally I’m not the impatient sort when it comes to gadgetery, but I must admit my patience is running pretty thin.

I’m an avid note taker.  I find it very important in my line of work (and in my personal development).  Often I will come out of meetings with pages of notes.  Unfortunately, that means I have shelves of notebooks, which are incredibly hard to refer back to later.  I often find that when I need to look back, I don’t have the right notebook with me (who wants to carry 3-5 notebooks for a year of notes!). 

When I’m problem solving, I also scribble a lot.  It’s a very good habit, formed early in my programming years.  There’s always a notepad on my desk with only semi-legible thoughts where I have been working through some process or problem.

Needless to say, with where technology is today, pen and paper should be obsolete.  Somehow, it’s not yet. (more…)

Welcome to the new Knapp & Associates website!

A year ago Knapp & Associates made a major transition.  We moved out of the IT Support / Managed Services space to focus on IT management consulting for small-to-medium business.  Our mandate is to help companies maximize the value of their technology investment, through technology leadership, alignment with management, and process improvement.  In short, we find ways to save your company money or make more money using technology.

We’re very excited about launching this new website.  It took significant effort, both in terms of design and content creation. While I knew (conceptually) how hard it was to create content, I wasn’t prepared for how hard it really is.  I have even more respect for writers and designers now. If you like the site, I’m very happy to refer the designer!

Over the coming months you’ll find this blog will have a greater focus on IT strategy and management for small to medium business.  Of course, since I’m still a techie there will still be the odd geek article.

Enjoy the site.  If you have any questions or comments, please let me know!