A Little Help Goes a Long Way.
A seasoned consultant and mentor can be a big advantage when an IT department goes through a major transition
Every business has its “IT crisis” moments. One of the worst is when key IT team members leave the company and the department falls into turmoil. Who’s going to fill in before you can hire someone else? How can you make sure critical tasks like data security don’t fall through the cracks?
We’ve seen this scenario play out in a lot of different ways among our clients, and it’s possible to emerge on the other end stronger, more efficient and with a much happier team.
Fort Knox Federal Credit Union:An IT Department in Transition
With 15 locations, Fort Knox Federal Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in the state of Kentucky. Matrix Integration had been working with Fort Knox to modernize their IT infrastructure when its IT department went through a substantial change: key IT resources left the company and new leadership had been recently appointed.
Because Matrix staff members had been on-site working closely with Fort Knox IT staff members for several months and had a deep knowledge of the credit union’s IT system, Fort Knox took a leap of faith and asked Matrix to enter into a formal executive consulting agreement to help get them back on track.
To learn more about how Matrix Integration worked with Fort Knox Federal Credit Union, read their story!
Successful Leap of Faith
Matrix came in and worked with each team member individually to learn more about their skills, responsibilities, and what they wanted to achieve long term. They helped the CIO set priorities about what to tackle first and determine which team members would be best for specific projects. They spent all day, every day for several months mentoring staff members and positioning people in the right roles.
When the assignment was complete, the department was not only running smoothly, but the team felt a renewed enthusiasm for their jobs. These are just a few quotes from Fort Knox staff:
“The bond and trust that was established with the team was nothing like I have seen before.”
“Matrix philosophy in business leadership, project planning, and mentorship allowed me to dive deeper into the hard work that was already done. I feel as if I can be a better and more effective leader having spent the time we have together.”
“Matrix came into an organization that had no structure and was able to increase productivity in just a couple of months.”
How to Make a Consulting Engagement Work for You
Every organization – and crisis – is different. Here are a few questions we start with to establish successful parameters for an executive consulting relationship:
- Priorities. What is it that you need to accomplish right away?
- Outcomes. What would you like to see when our assignment is complete? How would you describe a successful engagement?
- Timeline. How long do you imagine this engagement will take?
- Tactics. What exactly will take place during this assignment? How will our team accomplish the deliverables and outcomes?
Asking for advice – and getting the help you need – can lead to incredibly successful, long-term results. Get in touch if you’re thinking about hiring an IT consultant to work your way through a transition.
