“What are IT’s Biggest Productivity Killers?” We Asked, You Told Us
Recently we asked the IT community at Spiceworks:
“What are your biggest productivity killers?”
This simple question hit a nerve.
In a conversation spanning nearly 200 responses, dozens of IT pros chimed in on what prevented them from getting their work done. Here are the top 3 productivity killers these IT pros identified:
1. CONSTANT INTERRUPTIONS AND A LACK OF PRIORITIES
38 mentions.
Why combine these two? Because the underlying cause of the “Drive Bys” or “Walk Ins” that derail IT productivity lies in a lack of priorities.
Either because an individual’s priorities are ignored…
Users.
They always KNOW their issue is more important then anything I’m working on.
Brandt
Or not taken seriously:
It happens all too often that we are working on something critical to the enterprise and then get pulled into a “hot issue” for a diva that should not be an engineering-level problem, but a VIP/diva raises enough of a stink to pull one or all of us.
Ed Grauel
But just as often, priorities are either not clear…
Being pulled in multiple directions at once, which prevents me from making good progress on any one specific support task or project. If I can focus on one thing for long enough I’d be able to get a lot more accomplished.
Timb0slice
Or those priorities are always changing:.
Shifting priorities and projects that were not thought out before starting…
jason5742
In sum: IT pros identify a lack of clear priorities—and an inability to focus on the work that really matters—as the primary reason they aren’t able to get their work done.
2. Users
32 mentions.
Unsurprisingly, many IT pros feel users are one of their biggest productivity killers. In fact, 14 respondents simply said “Users” without further explanation.
Some responses were more specific. 11 respondents focused their issues around “tech illiterate” users.
While some of these responses were less than constructive…
End users who think the CD tray is a cup holder.
James1765
Other responses highlighted a significant problem—being pulled away from important work for the most basic of tech support issues they shouldn’t be responsible for:
Having to walk users through simple things on a regular basis. Eg: how to drag and drop.
TechGuy75
However, 7 respondents mentioned a worse form of being “tech illiterate”— users and stakeholders who either don’t know what IT does:
Users asking us to deal with Non-IT Problems.
nicbass
Who don’t know how to engage with the IT org:
Staff unwilling to follow procedure and contact appropriate support resources…
Tim7139
Or who don’t have a clear picture of what IT can or can’t help them with:
Bad managers and employees that think there’s an IT cure for all their problems.
“Stephanie is spending too much time on the Internet. IT can fix that!”
“Customer is complaining that Bob won’t return their calls. IT should implement something that will make Bob a better customer rep.”
“I managed to make it this far not knowing how to use a computer. It’s IT’s responsibility to make sure I know how.”
ITSlave
In sum: A lack of understanding and an antagonistic attitude between IT and the people they serve is a big bottleneck preventing IT pros from getting anything done.
3. Lacking Information, Communication or Access
18 mentions.
One of the biggest productivity killers for IT pros occurs when project decisions aren’t being made:
Management not making decisions that need to be made in a timely fashion. Yep nothing more annoying than being ready to proceed on a project and being told to hurry up and… wait… Aaargh!!!
Bearfan_85
Sometimes the problem is other members of the IT team:
The helpdesk of the hospital I work with. They never answer the phone and when I leave a message they never contact me back.
Computer MD
Increasingly, this lack of cooperation is a result of silos forming…
lack of shared data
Arielle Wilson
Or a more and more restrictive IT environment:
I work graveyard and due to access restrictions I need all sorts of written permission ahead of time to physically access, and apparently even remote access… Otherwise the WSUS un-fudging I did might have taken a week or two, rather than 6 months+, and troubleshooting antivirus issues would take me an hour or two, rather than 2 days minimum.
So basically it’s red tape… red tape everywhere.
In sum: Red tape, silos, and waiting on others also prevents IT pros from accomplishing their objectives.
Is it Always Someone Else’s Fault When IT Doesn’t Get Work Done?
Of course not. Respondents also identified personal time wasters, faulty tech and the pressure of keeping up with ever-changing IT information as big reasons they can’t get their work done.
But respondents also named unnecessary meetings, unwanted sales calls and office socializing as primary reasons for their lack of productivity.
Overall, the message is clear: IT pros feel they’d get a lot more done if they didn’t have to deal with other people, their issues, and their ideas for what tasks IT should really focus on.
In some cases, this is an understandable position to take. Sometimes users, bosses, stakeholders and colleagues are the clear bottleneck preventing IT pros from getting their work done.
Instead of blaming others, the most successful IT pros disarm the productivity pitfalls caused by those around them and even learn how to work with their roadblocks to multiply their results.
Much, much more on this in 2015.
