As a Consultant, IT Assessor, Troubleshooter (and the many other names that I have been called!) I am asked so many questions about a huge number of topics ... and frankly, I can't remember the answers to all of them. They range from assessing technology teams, stalled business growth and turnaround challenges through to people, process and IT & technology requests.
So I thought that I would put them down in a blog, mostly to aid my memory, but if they are useful to someone else then that is great too. That means that these posts are how I solved a particular issue or challenge and although hopefully there may be a correlation to whatever someone else is facing, technology in particular moves on at such a rapid pace that my solution may no longer be suitable. If so then please get in touch via the "Contact Pete" tab and if I can help then I will.
Firstly, let's be clear, fixing a broken IT department is not for the faint hearted. You will need a mixture of planning, drive, people skills, IT & technology capability, lots of communication and a hefty dose of luck.
There are two types of objective in the critical first 30 days; the short term ones that should be completed in the first week or so and the remainder that can take the rest of the 30 days. Those in the second category often need input from the short term objectives in order to proceed.
Read more: What to do in the first 30 days of an IT turnaround?
I often use web scraping code, of which the below is an example snippet, for looking at technology as part of an IT Assessment, Due Diligence or Review. For this post, I am assuming that the latest stable version of php and curl are installed and working. Below is some generic web scraping code that works well for most web sites.
Below is a list of areas that I generally cover during an IT Due Diligence process, which can also be known as an IT Assessment, IT Strategic Review or just an IT Review. Personally, I see an IT Assessment as validating an IT Strategic Plan whereas an IT Review is more focussed on the overall IT service & department.
Read more: A template for an IT Due Diligence or IT Assessment
Working remotely or from home can be lonely so here are 10 suggestions that could make all the difference. If you are new to working from home then it can be a big change to your lifestyle. That is not to say that it does not have some advantages but there are also some challenges too.
Read more: 10 ideas for mental health & wellbeing whilst working remotely
I recently had to help a high growth technology business with the installation of Docker across their mixed Operating System estate. I figured that it would be useful to set up a small environment in my lab, to assist with the process, help with the inevitable debugging and potentially, the documentation. This post lists the steps that I took and hopefully, others might benefit from it too.
Read more: Installing Docker in a mixed Operating System lab environment
I get asked this question a lot so I thought that I would share my thoughts on this emotive topic. I keep in mind throughout the process that the question that I am trying to answer here is: "Would I be comfortable investing my own money with this team?". This is not an easy area to cover for many reasons but primarily because you do not see the team in a work situation, you often only meet them for a short time (after all, your role is not to soak up all of their time unnecessarily) and of course, you will most likely only meet the most senior team members.
Read more: Assessing the Technology team as part of an IT Due Diligence or IT Assessment
It is common for entrepreneurs to create a one pager for their business and idea, in order to gain a face-to-face meeting with potential investors, usually venture capital businesses. This is particularly so in the startup or the early stages of a potentially high growth (often technology) business.
Read more: One pagers for investors can also help with the IT Due Diligence
Let me be up front, I am not a key member of the audience, when an entrepreneur/founder is pitching to a VC or PE fund. However, I have been honoured enough to be invited to sit in on a few of these, so I thought it might be helpful to someone, if I shared some thoughts on what seems to work.
Read more: Pitching and pitch deck advice from the IT assessor in the room
Ansible is a very powerful IT automation platform which can manage significant numbers of mixed operating system devices, from a central instance. Installing this into my Development lab environment has proven to be highly beneficial, but due to the mix and age of the server estate, it was not particularly straightforward. This blog post describes what I had to do, in order to implement it.
Read more: Installing Ansible in a mixed Operating System lab environment
This blog post documents the process I went through to get Selenium running on a headless Linux server in my lab environment. I find Selenium extremely useful when regression testing web site upgrades and major changes. At the end of this post, I have included the code I use for the automated testing of a base (vanilla) Joomla installation.
Read more: Selenium & Python automated testing for a base Joomla install
The reputation of an IT function can struggle for many reasons, ranging from an overwhelming workload or a rapidly changing market through to having significant technical debt or a lack of skilled technical staff. Nonetheless it can be hard to know if an intervention is necessary. Personally, I like clarity on which aspects may not be performing or if the needs of the wider organisation are being met, as often these aspects will drive any potential improvement programme.
How could Peter help?
As an IT consultant and technology advisor, Peter is often used for his significant digital/online transformation, troubleshooting, assessor, due diligence and turnaround experience, particularly if the word "impossible" has been used. With a reputation as a fixer, firefighter and troubleshooter, Peter takes on the most challenging of situations and brings to bear his extensive IT, digital & technology turnaround experience, coupled with his skills as a CEO and Board level advisor.
Available to help on a full time, part time, ad hoc or fractional basis as necessary. Equally comfortable working onsite or remote, depending on the challenge.
Why not get in touch for a free, no obligation, completely "off the record" chat ...?
Specialties
Peter Groom has significant experience in delivering and scaling online/digital services, as well as system migrations and upgrades. Well versed in E-Commerce platforms, both off the shelf and bespoke and using public, private and hybrid clouds. Highly experienced in delivering business value as a technology consultant, IT assessor and digital advisor, where IT and technology are seen as an enabler (think of it as "Lego") and often in high pressure turnaround environments.
Delivers innovation by using proven technology in one sector and applying it to a business challenge in another sector. Has an excellent track record as an IT consultant, firefighter and troubleshooter, of delivering "against the odds", initiatives whilst also bringing the organisation along on the journey. Extensive troubleshooting experience across many global markets, where his assessment and due diligence expertise prove essential, together with his CEO & Board level advisor skills.
His focus on pragmatic outcomes has delivered significant growth for his clients, across a multitude of sectors and continues to do so. In fact, it is this focus on practical actions, particularly from IT Assessments and Due Diligence, together with his guarantee that he will (if the client wishes) deliver those results for the client, that set him apart from many others.
