How to imagine a Technology in Macro Level? (1 Viewer)

[prabha_friend]

You know... So far I have developed applications only to finish my task. Now an Entire institute has been come under my responsibility (Only the IT side). Whatever I think or do, I have to do in the Institute level. Is there a book on this topic? Your advises are welcome. Please reply. Thanks....

With Hope,
Prabhakaran

 

[The_Doc_Man]

It is perhaps far afield, but the concepts of reductionism and holism are important in the sense of being able to see the working parts and how they fit into the working whole.

I found this book made me think a lot about that dichotomy of parts and whole: Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter. With a word of warning - this book is more philosophical and touches on many subjects. It may not be immediately helpful - but it surely gives you many things to ponder.

This is mandatory reading for anyone who suddenly has to consider large groups: The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P Brooks, Jr.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

You know... So far I have developed applications only to finish my task. Now an Entire institute has been come under my responsibility (Only the IT side). Whatever I think or do, I have to do in the Institute level. Is there a book on this topic? Your advises are welcome. Please reply. Thanks....

I fed your question into ChatGPT an artificial intelligent interface. This is the answer it gave:-

Congratulations on your new responsibility! Managing the IT side of an entire institute can be a challenging but rewarding task. While I'm not aware of a specific book that covers this topic exclusively, there are several books that can provide valuable insights into IT management and leadership in general. Here are a few recommendations:

1. ": A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford:

The Phoenix Project

The bestselling book that introduced the software development world to the theory of DevOps and the Three Ways.

itrevolution.com

This book offers a fictional story that explores the challenges of IT management and provides practical lessons on improving IT operations and organizational efficiency.

2. "The Practice of System and Network Administration" by Thomas A. Limoncelli, Christina J. Hogan, and Strata R. Chalup:

The Practice of System and Network Administration: Amazon.co.uk: Limoncelli, Thomas A., Hogan, Christina J., Chalup, Strata R.: 8601404665806: Books

Buy The Practice of System and Network Administration 2 by Limoncelli, Thomas A., Hogan, Christina J., Chalup, Strata R. (ISBN: 8601404665806) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

This book covers a wide range of topics related to system and network administration, including managing complex IT environments, team management, troubleshooting, and planning for growth.

3. "The IT Manager's Handbook: Getting Your New Job Done" by Bill Holtsnider and Brian D. Jaffe:

https://barbados.desertcart.com/products/6671467-it-managers-handbook-getting-your-new-job-done

This book offers practical advice for IT managers, covering topics such as strategic planning, team management, project management, budgeting, and communication.

4. "The Art of IT Management: Practical Tools, Techniques, and People Skills" by Robina Chatham: This book focuses on the people side of IT management, providing guidance on leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and managing change within an organization.

Additionally, it can be beneficial to explore resources beyond books, such as online courses, webinars, and industry blogs. Engaging with professional communities and attending relevant conferences or workshops can also provide valuable networking opportunities and insights from experienced IT leaders.

Remember that every organization is unique, so adaptability, continuous learning, and staying up to date with emerging trends and technologies will be crucial for your success in managing the IT side of the institute. Good luck!

I would also suggest that you go to this link where you can utilize ChatGPT yourself:

https://chat.openai.com/

I believe ChatGPT has the capacity to communicate in several languages, which might be of interest to you.

Please be aware that ChatGPT is not a definitive source of information, it can, and does get things wrong! They call it "dreaming" I believe.

 

[Edgar_]

I wouldn't know the philosophical answer, but technically, you must keep in mind concepts like:
1. Concurrence: Performance decreases with work load, so make design choices with inbound and outbound limits in mind. That includes order of execution, task cancellation, synchronization, error handling, resource monitoring, oh dear.
2. Support: You need to provide manuals and documentation, as well as a way to solve the problems of particular users. It'll quickly be annoying if you don't plan for this before hand. Make your interventions as unnecessary as possible.
3. UI/UX: Simple interface is best. Don't get too creative, people expect certain patterns. Think of what interfaces they might be familiar with and mimic them. Don't make them have to learn how to use your tools.
4. Monitoring: Have a log of everything as well as mechanisms to test functionality. It'll be a PITA at first, but a gift in the long run, when you don't remember all your design choices.
5. Security: Protect your data and that of your users. You can go to jail for this, don't play games here. Back up, encrypt, protect against attacks.
6. Scalability: Make design decisions where you can answer "Yes, I can add more of this in the future with ease".
7. Deploying: Software is alive, you will be modifying things all the time, have a deployment workflow that is as automated as possible and keeps track of the changes.

Each topic can very easily fill entire bookshelves, and I'm sure there are more topics that I'm forgetting, as well as overlapping ones. So, instead of a quick read, I suggest you to test how fit you are for these and improve on what is most necessary. You can get away with a lot at first, but don't wait until you have a deadline and a stack of problems waiting to explode.

 

[jdraw]

You may find this book about Data General's creation of a new computer interesting.

The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder​

One reader's comment:
Anyone of us who has ever worked hard and under a lot of pressure can relate to the characters (which I found very well described).

 

[Pat Hartman]

This is mandatory reading for anyone who suddenly has to consider large groups: The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P Brooks, Jr.

I loved the mythical man-month. One of the more important lessons in the book - If one woman can make a baby in nine months, can nine men make a software application in one month? The answer is NO because throwing people (even men) at a late project only makes it later.