What do they really want to know? – Presenting technical reports to management

Many people in the IT industry need to produce reports and make presentations, sometimes to their technical colleagues and sometimes to more senior people.

In this blog series I’m going to be discussing the best ways to present technical information, such as we use for capacity management, to higher levels of management.

You’ll need to take account of the intended recipient's knowledge, interest and preconceptions and when it’s necessary to present results that have significant consequences for the organisation, it’s good psychology to prepare the ground in advance ( perhaps by "leaking" the more contentious items so that they become part of the accepted pool of knowledge)

Depending on the circumstances, there’s much to be gained by regular reporting in a known and accepted format so I’m also going to discuss the extent to which automation of report publishing is both desirable and practical and look at the automatic interpretation of computer performance data and use of dashboards.

I’ve had many years' experience of delivering technical presentations and of being on the receiving end of other people's efforts. As in all fields of endeavour, there have been both successes and failures. So my first objective is to share some of my understanding of what makes a successful technical presentation.

These days, everyone works under pressure.

We all have to face deadlines, handle difficult clients, and cover for sick colleagues. We wrestle with unfamiliar software, fix bugs to keep the critical applications running, and risk our lives travelling to and from the office every day. Sometimes, when the stars and the dice are right, we find some time to do our real jobs.

The pressures faced by senior management may be different in kind but are certainly not different in degree - indeed, they are likely to be fiercer. These pressures will affect the way in which your boss reacts to information from "down below".

In order to make a successful presentation, especially one with financial implications, you should learn as much as you can about the target audience. You should try to understand the pressures they are under, their priorities and their technical awareness.

On Wednesday I’m going to look at these in more detail, sign up for our next webinar Essential reporting for Capacity and Performance Management http://www.metron-athene.com/services/training/webinars/index.html

Rich Fronheiser
Chief Marketing Officer