@scottalanmiller said in When Does It Stop Even Being IT: Buyers vs Doers:
So now the question becomes... how much IT work does someone do in position X before they are classified as a buyer or hirer of IT rather than IT themselves?
When I try to answer to this question, it seems that the problem of "classifying" is only with people titled "IT manager" or similar, or others that make IT decisions.
@scottalanmiller said in When Does It Stop Even Being IT: Buyers vs Doers:
Managing IT means you understand what you are doing and using those skills to make decisions, just at a manager level.
Let's think of an example where "IT manager" knows IT very well, makes good decisions, but he outsource everything (no other IT employees).
Can he be good IT manager? Probably yes.
Is he Buyer or Doer? If I understand Scott, he is Buyer?
Does it stop even being IT? I think not.
Let's think of example where "IT manager" is incompetent, makes bad decisions and outsource everything.
What is the difference between these two? Just that the second one is incompetent
Does it stop even being IT? YES - but just becuse he is incompetent.
So I think term "Buyers" should not mean that such person is "not IT themselves".
If we agree on that, we can differentiate Buying vs Doing quite easily.
And I think most GOOD poeple in SMB IT are partly buyers, partly doers.
I do not see need or possibility to "draw a line" between Buyers nad Doers, and classify people in one of two boxes.