A self-paced, multi-topic leadership programme for new and aspiring IT managers. Eight lessons bring together the core management skills IT leaders need: aligning IT with business strategy, building and structuring teams, stakeholder management, budgeting, governance and risk, vendor management, measuring IT performance and a structured first-90-days plan. Each lesson ends with a practical exercise. The programme builds skills and does not promise a job, promotion or salary outcome.
What you will learn
- Align IT priorities with business strategy
- Structure and build effective IT teams
- Manage stakeholders and expectations
- Build and manage an IT budget
- Apply governance and risk management proportionately
- Manage vendors and contracts
- Measure and report IT performance
- Plan your first 90 days in a leadership role
Lessons
- Aligning IT with Business Strategy
- Building and Structuring IT Teams
- Stakeholder Management
- Budgeting and Financial Management
- Governance and Risk
- Vendor Management
- Measuring IT Performance
- Your First 90 Days
Self-paced course from Tech Skills Library. Educational content only; it is not an accredited qualification, licence or credential.
Lessons
Aligning IT with Business Strategy
Building and Structuring IT Teams
The structure and capability of your team determine what it can deliver. IT leaders shape structure, hiring and skills. Structure options Functional: teams by specialism, such as networks, servers and service desk. Product or service aligned: cross-functional teams owning a product or service end to end. Hybrid: platform teams providing shared capabilities with product-aligned teams […]
Stakeholder Management
IT leaders work with executives, business units, users, suppliers and their own teams. Managing these relationships is a large part of the role. Mapping stakeholders Map stakeholders by influence and interest. Spend most effort on those with high influence and high interest. Building relationships Meet key stakeholders regularly, not only when there is a problem. […]
Budgeting and Financial Management
IT leaders manage significant budgets. Financial competence builds credibility with executives. Budget components Staff, contractors, software licences and subscriptions, cloud consumption, hardware, maintenance contracts, telecommunications and project costs. Capital and operating spend Understand how your organisation treats capital and operating expenditure, as it affects approvals and accounting. Building a budget Start from current run costs, […]
Governance and Risk
Governance ensures IT decisions are made at the right level with appropriate oversight. Risk management protects the organisation from technology-related harm. Governance basics Define who decides on priorities, investments, architecture and policies. Typical bodies include an IT steering group for priorities, an architecture review for significant designs and change authorities for operational changes. Proportionate governance […]
Vendor Management
IT leaders depend on vendors for software, cloud, hardware and services. Managing them well saves money and reduces risk. Know your vendors Maintain a register of vendors, services, contract values, renewal dates, service levels and owners. Selecting vendors Define requirements, evaluate options against weighted criteria, check references and assess security and financial stability. Involve legal […]
Measuring IT Performance
What IT leaders measure and report shapes how IT is perceived and where effort goes. Balanced measures Service: availability, incident volumes, resolution times. Delivery: project milestones, deployment frequency, lead time. Financial: budget variance, cost per user. Customer: satisfaction and effort scores. People: engagement, turnover, training. Risk: open critical vulnerabilities, audit findings. Choosing a few Select […]
Your First 90 Days
The first 90 days in a leadership role set the tone. A structured plan helps you learn quickly, build relationships and deliver early improvements. Days 1 to 30: learn Meet your team individually, meet key stakeholders, review services, budgets, risks, projects and vendors. Listen more than you speak, and avoid major changes until you understand […]