A. After reading through the chapters, I have this feeling that Barton is a very smart individual. He wants to make sure that nothing is wasted and everything is done in the most efficient of manners. Barton is the type of individual that wants everything to be perfect and punctual. He meticulously reviews things to make sure everything is working right and looks to take charge of different situations in order to make sure the project is going to turn out perfect. I do think that Barton should try and take control of the entire IT budget because of his leadership, his drive, his determination, and his passion for the IT project. Here are a few quotes from Barton that gives you a taste of what his leadership within the IT project is like: “First, I want to find a way to fund this – an aboveboard way, not involving slush funds. Second, I want us to review the process we use to decide how to allocate our IT budget dollars, how we decide what priorities to fund. And, as the situation demonstrates, we need to improve to process. I want your recommendations. I’ll send out an email to my direct reports too, asking for their thoughts”. You can clearly see his leadership skills there and he shows that he will be capable of taking control of the entire IT budget.
2. How should the Board of Directors be involved in IT management? Should every company have a board-level IT committee? Should IVK?
A. Due to the fast advancement of technology in the past 10-15 years, companies have grown dependent on technology and without it, a company will not be able to run. Not only a company but the entire world depends greatly on information technology and having it compromised or losing it will significantly put a lot of things at risk. The board of directors usually did not have a lot of knowledge when it came to information technology but since it rules everything we do these days, they need to be