One Simple Thing #5 – How to work with the IT team
Craig Shibley, MBA, CTS
The debate of whether AV is IT rages on, but we are not here to discuss that specifically. Here are a few tips and tools to make sure the communication flows well between the AV and IT teams:
Get IT players in AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE – When a project is just starting to be considered, I like to tell people “tell me what you know when you know it.” Getting in early can be the difference between making something happen or not. The same is true for the IT team.
Give information to everyone who may remotely be affected, and continue until they ask you to stop – Some people will disagree with this tactic and treat things on a more “need to know” type of basis, which is great for secrets, but not for AV projects. Use that CC, make that phone call, and communicate until you’re told they don’t need to be involved.
Respect their concerns – This can be tough, especially when hesitancy will curb enthusiasm. Consider this an opportunity to learn your device/project better to the point of being able to justify it to your IT team.
Take the hit when you mess it up – Being defensive is pretty natural, especially when it comes to your own equipment. Letting affected parties know right away when something wasn’t protected on the network, messed with traffic, or just generally got in the way. Admitting when you find it will make it a lot easier to troubleshoot than someone else finding it later. And admitting a mistake can help gain respect for future projects.
admitting a mistake can help gain respect for future projects.
Don’t surprise IT – This goes back to general communication, but don’t let IT discover new devices or network changes on their own. Make sure they know when it’s gonna happen, that it’s happening and that it happened.
Get to Know Craig Shibley
Craig Shibley has been in the AV industry for twenty years, and in higher education for ten. He currently serves as the Director of Multimedia Services for California Baptist University in Riverside, CA. Craig is a HETMA steering committee member and the founder of CheckMyAV.com, an all-in-one AV testing resource and blog. He holds an MBA from California Baptist University and CTS certification from AVIXA. Connect with Craig through the social links below.
checkmyAV was started in order to give AV techs a quick and easy resource to check their audio-visual systems. Tired of going to video sites and dealing with ads embedded in videos and inconsistent content, checkmyAV was created to give techs useful video and audio files to check their setup while being ad-free and user friendly. checkmyAV content is created by Craig Shibley.