Bob Lewis' Survival Is Guide

I have read many, many books on IS/IT management and this one is by far the best. While it focuses on the technical side of the job, it does mention the need for skills on the business side of the job as well. Further, the technical side of the job is what DEFINES the job of the CIO- otherwise IS could just report to the COO or CFO.This book discusses managing platforms, information, and applications; leading programs, initiatives, and projects; and using measurements for process monitoring and improvement. It also covers the human factor- managing staffs and politics- but that is the weakest section of this book. While many topics are covered in fair detail, Bob Lewis' down-to-earth style makes this a very enjoyable read.Even if you are not looking to be a CIO, this will help you understand how CIOs operate, and let you better judge whether or not they are doing a good job.

This delightful book is for not only IS/IT professionals who are venturing into management (or who got promoted into management from technical positions and are bewildered by the politics they now must figure out), but consultants as well. First, it's a summary of the key things a manager should be paying attention to if he or she is going to be successful. Second, it is a guidebook to surviving the inevitable political game that one must play in order to succeed. To those former techies who find themselves in management and pine for the days when all they had to deal with was technical problems the advice about how to successfully "play the game" will give you confidence and actually might make "the game" fun. It also sets a context for how you will fit into the IS/IT organization as a manager, and shows you ways you can take the initiative and make a real difference. This is career enhancing material. Third, this book provides a common sense approach to managing technology, introduces you to processes and their value, and gives some valuable insights into dealing with people on your staff. It is a big leap from dealing with machines and recalcitrant software to dealing with people. Systems can be dealt with using logic and troubleshooting skills. People are illogical by nature and do not respond well to "troubleshooting". This book will show you how to deal with these illogical creatures and troubleshoot them without their knowing it.For a consultant, the knowledge and skills in this book are as applicable, especially the insights into politics (we are certainly not immune to them ourselves, and worse, have to adjust to each client's particular culture). Dealing with people is another skill that we need to continually refine. In fact, people skills are probably more important than technical skills to a consultant, so this book is especially valuable in that respect. I thought the chapters on managing technology and processes were valuable because they contain some fresh thinking that got to the core of what's really important. Overall this book is filled with great information and is well written. I give it 5 stars and recommend it highly to colleagues and clients alike.

I rate this book 5 stars because it's the first text I've come across that accurately maps out the IS landscape (also known as IT or MIS or EDP). IS should always be about providing process automation - and that requires technical leadership. Most people in IS have forgotten that objective. Bob has done his homework and writes with a confidence born of experience, taking you through the phases of exploration, planning and tracking. I have especially enjoyed the chapter on decision making.Bob's writing style was interesting enough to hold my attention, though I could only handle a chapter at a time. Overall, an excellent reference work if you're an IS/IT manager looking to move up. It can help you build the skills and understandings for your next promotion.

I'm a huge fan of Bob's weekly Infoworld column, and eagerly anticipated the arrival of this book. As expected, I am impressed by both the quality and quantity of what Bob covers in the IS Survival Guide.In what I think is a first-of-its-kind book, Bob Lewis lays down the "law of the land" with regards to the IS department's tasks, practices, and responsibilities. It is broad in its scope and could be compared in intent to Peter Drucker's omnibus book "Management": this is the bare minimum stuff that you need to know as a CIO.A couple of notes that may detract certain readers from this book: it is not very technical, although it can be "jargony" at times. "Playing the political game" is also a theme that permeates this book, which means it may be of more use to CIO's in a large company vs. a smaller startup. Bob's tell-it-like-it-is attitude may catch some of the more naive would-be-CIO's off guard (and even anger them at times). Finally, my own personal nit - Bob writes in a very casual, conversational style. There's nothing particuarily wrong with this - it works well when reading his weekly articles in Infoworld. It is, however, also very hard to do WELL when writing a book. Bob's writing can be distracting at times because of this.Overall, this book is was a pleasure to read, and will make the "real job" of a CIO very clear to the next generation of aspiring IS managers.

I read and used Bob's book to aid in my transition to a new company. Coming from the programming world into project management was a scary and risky (new company and new position) venture for me. I reread and applied his sections on project management and hiring new employees (I used the topic to "see" how my boss would view hiring me). It has been very successful for me to date.