13
Fri, Dec
4 New Articles

The Steps That Lead to MIS Management

General
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

So you want to be an MIS manager. Given the diversity of the position, the route you take and the process required to arrive at your goal can vary dramatically. First, find a mentor you are comfortable with who has moved into management. Pick his brain about what the position is really like. Get an accurate picture of the work. Ask for his advice regarding what steps to take, given your experience, education, and personality. Seek out other managers at user group functions, seminars, and COMMON. Often, senior programmers evolve into MIS managers in small shops, where their primary responsibilities include system support, user support, programming, and supervising a small staff. They may inherit their positions through apprenticeship, growth, or turnover. Their ascent may be accidental and borne of necessity. Typically, small shops don’t have anyone to groom you for a technology management position, but your company will have mentors for management skills in other areas.

Managing a small shop is a great way to keep sharp technically and still feel the satisfaction of a job well done. My advice is to keep improving your technical and analytical skills and know when to delegate tasks to staff or outside help. Small-shop managers often mistakenly try to do everything themselves, which lessens their effectiveness. Your employer will have greater respect for your management skills when you practice effective delegation and task prioritization.

If you aspire to manage a midsized-to-large shop (20 or more people), you’ll need more grooming and experience. You need to make strategic job changes that will accelerate your growth. Here are some tips that will help you reach your goal:

• Be technically competent and lobby to work on key projects that boost your visibility.

• Continue your technical education. Attend technical seminars, COMMON, local user group meetings, and educational programs. Read technical trade publications and technical books.

• Learn about emerging technologies, including non-AS/400 technologies. In today’s world of mixed-platform environments, you need to know what options exist and how to evaluate and deploy them.


• Complete your academic education. A four-year degree is a requirement for many management positions, and an advanced degree is usually required for an executive-level position in a midsized-to-large shop. If your firm is involved in e-commerce, attend educational programs tailored to e-commerce.

• Develop your people skills. Go the extra mile to be the ideal analyst in the eyes of the users and IT department. Strive to improve your speaking and writing skills.

• Dress for success. Update your business wardrobe (including your “business casual” wardrobe), and sharpen your image. Look the part.

• Seek challenging projects where you can learn management skills and responsibilities.

• Work with your mentor throughout the process. Offer to be a mentor to less experienced people. You will learn from each experience.

• Evaluate your skills annually and update your résumé. The update process is an important reality check and gives you the opportunity to determine whether or not you are on course for advancement.

• Study your industry. Attend seminars, tradeshows, meetings, and other industry-specific events so you can better understand the business your firm conducts. Your industry knowledge will distinguish you from the pack.

Keep in mind that the MIS manager title does not always reflect the size or responsibilities of a given environment. Some MIS managers in rural areas make $60,000 to $72,000; in major metropolitan areas, salaries can start between $78,000 and $100,000 plus; for larger shops, salaries rise to $135,000 plus. For more on AS/400 salaries, visit www.midrangecomputing.com/salary or www. excelsearch.com/salary.htm.

The competition for management positions is keen, and you will need to be well prepared. With the proper planning, you will reach your goal.


BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: