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Quality Assurance Increasingly Part of Other IT Staff Positions
In IT organizations, quality assurance (QA) is a well-established and vital function, but its nature is changing. Nearly all companies have abandoned the traditional waterfall development model for agile, scrum, and other iterative software models. Many of these new methods subsume the standalone QA function directly into the development and maintenance staff. In other words, QA is still as important as ever. But QA as a distinct IT job is shrinking as a percentage of total IT staff, and we expect that trend to continue.
December, 2017
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IT Quality Assurance Staffing Ratios 2017
Staffing levels for IT quality assurance personnel are changing as software testing is increasingly embedded within the application development and maintenance role. In this study, we first evaluate recent changes in IT QA staffing levels. We then provide three benchmarks by organization size and by sector: QA staff as a percentage of the IT staff, QA staff as a percentage of the Application Group, and applications per QA staff member. We conclude with recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the QA function within the IT organization. (20 pp., 7 figs) [Research Byte]
December, 2017
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App Development Tops Outsourcing List
(IRVINE, Calif.) Nearly 62% of all organizations are outsourcing some application development to outside service providers, making it the most popular of nine categories for enterprises and governmental agencies in the U.S. and Canada, according to Computer Economics.
December, 2017
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IT Security Tops List of Jobs Toughest to Fill, Survey Says
Information security analyst and application programmer top the list of toughest IT jobs to fill, in the Computer Economics IT Salary Report 2018. Following the top two are business systems analyst, database administrator, and somewhat surprisingly, help desk representative.
December, 2017
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Business Analyst Role Continues to Grow
Business analysts are making up a larger percentage of the IT staff for the fourth year in a row, indicating an evolution in the mix of skills in the typical IT organization. Cloud computing, software as a service, and virtualization are reducing the need for infrastructure-support staff while increasing the need for IT staff with business skills.
December, 2017
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Business Analyst Staffing Ratios 2017
Business analysts as a percentage of the IT staff has risen for the fourth year in a row, and we expect that trend to continue. The business analyst serves as a bridge between the IT organization and business users. It is a multifaceted function that is important for ensuring that IT application systems meet objectives. In this study, we assess staffing levels for the business analyst using four metrics: business analysts as a percentage of the IT staff, business analysts as a percentage of the Application Group, applications per business analyst, and users per analyst. (21 pp., 10 fig.) [Research Byte]
December, 2017
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IT Steering Committee Adoption and Best Practices
Aligning IT with business priorities has never been more important. Because of its cross-functional nature, IT decisions should not be left solely to the discretion of the IT department and should be made in partnership with business leaders. The means to do that is the IT steering committee, a best practice for IT governance. In this study, we look at adoption trends for IT steering committees by organization size and sector. We also discuss the elements that every IT steering committee policy should contain, and steps IT organizations should take before establishing one. (15 pp., 6 fig.) [Research Byte]
November, 2017
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IT Steering Committees Are Vital for IT Governance
IT decisions have become too important to be left solely to the IT department. IT is one of the few functions within a business that touches virtually all other areas of the business. Because decisions that an IT organization makes can vastly enable or hinder other business functions, and because of budget constraints, there are often tradeoffs among competing business demands placed on the IT organization. Therefore, IT priorities should be set in partnership with business leaders, and the means to do that is the IT steering committee.
November, 2017
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IT Change Control Board Use Rising as Pace of Change Increases
Change is hard. Change in IT is even harder. The pace of change in IT organizations is increasing as new technology allows fast provisioning and implementation of new applications and infrastructure. Consumerization is also driving users to demand modern, easy-to-use solutions. This adds up to a quickening pace of change both at the strategic and tactical level. IT organizations are responding by improving best practices around governance. The IT change control board is one of those best practices.
November, 2017
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IT Change Control Board Adoption and Best Practices
The pace of change in IT organizations is increasing as new technology allows fast provisioning and implementation of new applications and infrastructure, and the economic benefits of reducing legacy systems become increasing clear. IT departments need to communicate with users and leaders to better prioritize and control these changes. In this study, we look at adoption trends for IT change control boards by organization size and sector. We also discuss the elements that every IT change control board policy should contain, and steps IT organizations should take before establishing an IT change control board. (15 pp., 6 fig.) [Research Byte]
November, 2017
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Desktop Support Staffing on the Rise, for Now
Although desktop support personnel as a percentage of the total IT staff hit a five-year peak this year, we expect the percentage to soon decline. For IT organizations, it is critical to understand how many desktop support personnel are needed to service the company’s users.
November, 2017
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Desktop Support Staffing Ratios 2017
Although desktop support personnel as a percentage of the total IT staff hit a five-year peak this year, we expect this staffing level to decline in the near future. In this study, we use four metrics for benchmarking: desktop support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, PCs per desktop support staff member, applications per support staff member, and users per support staff member. We also assess these ratios by organization size and sector. We conclude with strategies for improving the efficiency of the desktop support staff. (23 pp., 11 fig.) [Research Byte]
November, 2017
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Data Management Staffing Flat Despite Data Explosion
The amount of data that IT organizations have to manage continues to increase dramatically. Real-time access is a necessity, and mobile devices, along with the Internet of Things, ensure that there will be no slowing of the data expansion. But our data shows a surprising lack of growth in the data management staff.
November, 2017
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Data Management Staffing Ratios 2017
Data management is a vital function that crosses departmental borders, involving business intelligence, data warehousing, data architecture, and other functions. However, over the past two years, this category of IT workers has plateaued as a percentage of the IT staff. As such, the data management headcount requires ongoing assessment. In this study, we use four benchmarks to assess data management staffing levels: data management staff as a percentage of the IT staff, data management staff as a percentage of the Application Group, users per data management staff member, and applications per data management staff member. (22 pp., 10 fig.) [Research Byte]
November, 2017
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Salesforce Renews Focus on Customers
Unless you are a cloud pundit or a financial analyst, the announcements at Salesforce’s huge Dreamforce conference this week seemed rather bland. There was a definite emphasis on practical results and customization. While not earth shattering, the back-to-basics mode was refreshing and could be very powerful.
November, 2017
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