| Technology Category | Technology Area | Policies, Procedures, Standards | Design, Development, Documentation | Evaluation, Testing, Purchase | Monitoring, Maintenance, Measurement | Skills audits, Training |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End User Applications | Strategic applications | |||||
| Diagnostic applications | ||||||
| Operations applications | ||||||
| Business processes | ||||||
| Data modeling | ||||||
| Interfaces | ||||||
| Enterprise Integration | Architectures | |||||
| Networks | ||||||
| Systems | ||||||
| Programming | Testing tools | |||||
| Coding tools | ||||||
| Design tools | ||||||
| Languages | ||||||
| Components | ||||||
| Operating Systems | OS admin. tools | |||||
| Network OS | ||||||
| Hardware | Peripherals | |||||
| Computers | ||||||
| Cards | ||||||
| CPUs | ||||||
| Power supply | ||||||
| Packaging |
This matrix is intended to provide a comprehensive view of all IT-related management activities on one page. The details and terminology, of course, need to be adapted to the specific needs of an organization. But the matrix solves one constant need that people have: IT is so vast that it is easy to get lost in its complexity. The matrix is based on the OSI model for the layers of a network. It extends that concept to the higher levels of information technology that exist in an enterprise.
The top row lists five broad categories of management activities that are applied to each of the technology areas. The point of the matrix is that each layer of IT must be managed in each of these ways.
This matrix may be used as a portal or entry point for managers who wish to learn about the management activities in any technology area, that is, in any cell of the matrix. Each cell can contain a hyperlink that goes to a web page which describes these activities, their managers, and other information.
The matrix may also be useful for other applications. For example, it could be used as a performance assessment map, in which quality or problems in each area could be identified with colored cells.