1. WORKING EFFECTIVELY IN AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT

2. Element 1 Complying with general IT policies and procedures

3. LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Establish and explain clearly, the roles of key players in the IT organization
2. Establish career choices and options.
3. Comply with policies and procedures as directed by the supervisor

4. IT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
When you join an IT organization it is very important for you to integrate into that environment as quickly as possible.
One of the ways in which you can accomplish this is to know what the policies and procedures are and comply with them.
Each organization will have its own policies and procedures, which may be directly related to the use of technology or designed to cover many aspects of the organization.

5. These policies and procedures may include:
Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) guidelines
Occupational Health and Safety policies
Anti-discrimination policies
Guidelines outlining ethical work practices
Ergonomics
Environmental factors
Statutory and vendor requirements
Preventative maintenance procedures
Guidelines for appropriate employee conduct
Manual on how to use technological equipment
Purchasing requisition procedures and documentation
The structure of departments within the organization

6. The extent to which some of these policies
and procedures exist in an organization
will depend on organizational variables such
as:
• Type and size
• Values
• Culture

7. ROLES OF KEY PLAYERS OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATION
Key players are the personnel within an organization that are essential for the functioning of that section or department.
If you work in an organization that has an IT division, or is completely IT oriented, it is important to identify everyone and his/her (IT) role.

8. ROLES OF KEY PLAYERS OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATION (cont’d)
They may have job titles such as:
IT Manager
Supervisor
Systems Administrator
Developer
Information Systems Manager
Systems Analyst
Data Entry Operator
Help Desk Staff
Database Administrator
Graphic Artist
Desktop Publisher
Trainer
Other colleagues in the department or division

9. It is also important for you to establish the hierarchy of personnel; i.e. you must know who has the authority to give instructions to which other staff and who has responsibility for certain areas of operation.
The organization may publish an Organizational Chart which makes this hierarchy clear.

10. Key players also exist outside of the organization and these players directly or indirectly affect how IT is used in your organization. These may include but are not limited to:
Government departments involved in IT
Vendors of IT products and services
IT professional bodies
Industry publications
Industry promotion
Employer organizations
Relevant unions

11. CAREER CHOICES AND OPTIONS
In order to effectively determine your career
choice there are some things that you
should be aware of:
The range of careers available in IT
Your personal desires and abilities
Current trends in the field
Available training opportunities

12. Therefore, it is advisable for you to read widely.
The world of IT is very wide and dynamic with new technologies, techniques and careers emerging everyday.
Therefore, it is advisable for you to read widely.
Help desk - is a department within a company that responds to technical questions.

13. Application development • Software and hardware management
The broad fields in Information Technology can include those listed below:
General IT Categories
Manufacturing
Application development
• Software and hardware management
• Support and training

14. The broad fields in Information Technology can include those listed below:
Fields in IT include:
Hardware and software development
Web design
Database management
Networking
Information systems management
Communication
Marketing
Help desk

15. IT Careers Career choices may include but are not limited to:
Database Clerk/Operator/Administrator
Web Page Designer/Programmer
Data Entry Clerk/Operator/Supervisor
Network Manager/Administrator
Computer Programmer

16. As you can see from the foregoing, there are both breadth and diversity in IT jobs; however, you will find that many of them are a combination of several areas.
IT is a fast-moving, technology-driven industry and so the job descriptions and skill requirements change very quickly.
Some good sources of IT careers can be found at:
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17. MORE ON COMPLYING WITH POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

18. Earlier you were introduced you to some of the policies and procedures that are likely to obtain in an IT environment.
However, there are others which may be in existence which you need to know and comply with.
For example many organizations, have a code of practice that employees are expected to follow, as well as other policies and procedures which outline how the organization carries out its business.

19. Organizations will also have policies controlling:
Purchasing
Standard software
Internet access
usage
Naming directories and files
Network security
Requests for IT assistance (personnel need to prioritize the work they do depending on what is most important as money may be lost if the priority is wrong). Users may need to log a request by with the "Help Desk" or use a special form.

20. Additionally, there may be procedures governing:
• The use of capital equipment (only certain employees may be allowed to use certain equipment) and consumables such as paper, laser toner and disks. Different divisions of the company may have a budget to cover the cost of consumables, which should be accounted for.
• A list of steps used to complete an IT activity e.g. setting up a personal computer, installing a printer, and back up and retrieval procedures.
Code of Practice - Minimum standards of conduct and practice to be followed by all members of an organization. The standards are designed to be fair to all and usually imply confidentiality, privacy and non-exploitative policies.

21. Other organizational standards include the presentation of documents.
You may be required to use a standard font, size and colour.
There may be a bank of templates available on the organization's intranet, letterhead paper to be used and an organisation-wide Style Guide.
As noted previously, organizational variables will determine which of these policies and procedures are in force in your office.
If your company has an employee handbook it should stipulate them.

22. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS
What are some of the policies and procedures that an IT company is likely to enforce?
Define Code of Practice.
Identify 5 career options in the IT industry.
Define Help desk.
Identify and briefly explain the roles of key players in a typical IT organization.
When should you comply with your organizations policies and proceedures?
List some of the things that an organizations’ policies can control.