Survey Questions: Information Technology
Core Technical CompetenciesCore Technical Competencies focus on the engineering craft and technical mastery required to build, maintain, and improve IT systems. This includes deep knowledge of software, equipment, system dependencies, and architectural patterns; the ability to write clean, secure, well-structured code; skill in designing data structures and integrations; and proficiency in testing, documentation, and reliable system design. These behaviors describe the technical precision, engineering judgment, and hands-on capability that enable IT teams to create scalable, maintainable, and high-quality technology solutions.
- The IT Department knows how to repair the equipment in our department.
- IT staff are knowledgeable about the software and equipment we use.
- I am skilled at applying secure coding practices, threat modeling, and vulnerability mitigation throughout the application lifecycle.
- My coworkers write clean, efficient, well-structured code using appropriate languages, frameworks, and tools.
- Colleagues understand the dependencies and interoperability of different software tools.
- My manager designs data structures, schemas, and flows that support application logic and analytics.
- Our team produces clear technical documentation, diagrams, and handoff materials.
- I know how to develop and execute unit, integration, and acceptance tests to ensure reliability and performance.
- Our team creates modular, scalable, and maintainable system designs applying architectural patterns appropriately.
- Our supervisor connects applications, APIs, and data sources reliably.
Service OrientationService Orientation focuses on how IT delivers technology as a service to the organization. It emphasizes responsiveness, reliability, workflow design, operational efficiency, and cross-team collaboration. This includes maintaining equipment effectively, responding quickly to user needs, improving IT workflows, automating processes, and ensuring that IT services consistently support organizational goals. These behaviors describe the operational excellence, service quality, and partnership mindset that ensure technology functions smoothly and enables productivity across the business.
- The IT Department is effective in maintaining the equipment in my department.
- Information Technology responds to my questions and inquiries in a timely manner.
- The project manager drives high-quality IT services that strengthen organizational performance and advance key priorities.
- Our department implements improved operational methods and system-support protocols that increase efficiency and strengthen service delivery.
- Our team works effectively with business partners, UX designers, QA, infrastructure, and data teams.
- Our department delivers reliable, high-quality IT services that support the organization's needs and goals.
- The supervisor introduces improved IT workflows and operational protocols that enhance team efficiency and overall productivity.
- Our manager effectively develops new IT workflows and automated protocols that reduce manual effort and increase productivity.
- Our department delivers high quality IT services for the organization.
- The project manager designs and rolls out enhanced IT work practices and protocols that drive ongoing efficiency and productivity gains.
Knowledge Transfer
- The training seminars offered by the IT Department are relevant and informative.
- Our manager actively shares knowledge to help the organization work smarter and more independently.
- Our department delivers reliable IT services and maintains clear documentation and knowledge-sharing practices that strengthen organizational understanding and continuity.
- Our department delivers high-quality IT services and fosters continuous learning through structured knowledge-transfer and information-sharing practices.
- Our department delivers high-quality IT services and ensures strong knowledge transfer to support organizational learning and long-term capability.
Strategic Alignment
- The IT Department delivers increased value to the organization.
- Managers assess department strategies and recommend adjustments to strengthen implementation of key initiatives.
- The project manager develops an enterprise architecture strategy that guides modernization efforts and ensures scalable, future-ready technology solutions.
- Our department creates an enterprise architecture strategy that ensures IT systems, standards, and platforms are aligned with organizational priorities and governance requirements.
- The Chief IT Officer develops a comprehensive enterprise architecture strategy that aligns technology, systems, and processes with organizational goals.
- Our manager analyzes operational strategies to identify risks, gaps, and improvements needed to ensure successful implementation of key initiatives.
- Senior leadership creates an enterprise architecture strategy and roadmap that guides long-term technology planning and investment decisions.
- Technology is deployed in ways that directly enable and strengthen core business objectives.
- The IT Department is strategically positioned to meet the needs of the organization.
- The project manager assesses the operational strategies that support the successful execution of important initiatives.
- Technology decisions are guided by what delivers the greatest value to the business.
- The project manager ensures key initiatives can be implemented effectively.
IT Resources
- Resources are used in ways that deliver the greatest operational impact.
- Resources are assigned to achieve the strongest return on effort and investment.
- My manager ensures IT resources are aligned to meet evolving needs and priorities.
- Senior leadership continually evaluates and adjusts IT resources to stay aligned with changing operational needs.
- My manager adjusts IT resources to keep pace with evolving business and technical requirements.
- The project manager anticipates changing needs and proactively aligns IT resources to meet them.
- IT systems and resources are strategically aligned to drive business priorities and outcomes.
- The IT Department ensures resources and capabilities are positioned to support the organization's evolving demands.
IT Controls
- The supervisor has created systematic approaches for assessing the effectiveness of IT controls and the health, stability, and resilience of critical systems.
- The manager has built effective frameworks for evaluating internal controls and systems.
- Our department has designed internal controls with appropriate tracking measures.
- The manager establishes structured frameworks for evaluating IT controls and ensuring systems meet governance, security, and compliance requirements.
- Our manager builds data-driven frameworks for evaluating IT controls and system performance using logs, metrics, and monitoring insights.
Risk Management
- The manager leverages standardized risk-management checklists to ensure IT controls are comprehensive, consistent, and aligned with organizational requirements.
- Our department uses risk-management checklists to proactively identify vulnerabilities and implement the IT controls needed to reduce exposure.
- Our department has developed appropriate risk response strategies.
- Our department has implemented effective risk monitoring measures and responsibilities.
- Coworkers are able to identify and implement appropriate risk responses.
- I know how to conduct risk severity level assessments.
Vendor Review
- The project manager holds regular meetings with vendors to review performance, clarify expectations, and address risks.
- We evaluate vendor-related risks on an ongoing basis to ensure security, compliance, and operational reliability.
- The project manager conducts regular vendor onboarding and performance-review meetings.
- Our manager facilitates routine vendor briefings and oversight meetings to ensure alignment and compliance.
- Our department uses effective vendor-management tools and adheres to established compliance requirements.
- We leverage robust vendor-management systems and ensure full compliance with organizational and regulatory standards.
- Our team conducts regular risk assessments as part of our vendor management and third-party oversight processes.
Acquisition Evaluation and Acceptance
- My manager leads the evaluation, testing, and approval of new software to ensure quality, fit, and readiness for organizational use.
- The IT Department properly ensures proposed software aligns with security, compliance, and data-governance requirements.
- The project manager validates that integrations, data flows, and system performance meet operational standards.
- My coworkers are effective in documenting defects, coordinating remediation with vendors, and ensuring issues are resolved before final approval.
- Our team evaluates software options against functional requirements, technical standards, and long-term architectural fit.
- The manager defines acceptance criteria and testing protocols to verify that the software meets required specifications.
- Our team leader conducts thorough acquisition evaluations and acceptance testing to ensure software solutions meet business, technical, and compliance requirements.
- Our department analyzes total cost of software ownership, licensing models, and implementation risks before recommending acquisition.
- I know how to assess vendor capabilities, product maturity, and support models to determine suitability for organizational needs.
Data Model
- The team leader has created a data model that supports the team's operating and strategic goals.
- The project manager engages key business and technical stakeholders to validate and support the data model.
- Our team has built stakeholder consensus around data requirements and IT design decisions to ensure successful implementation.
- The project manager secures stakeholder alignment on data requirements and system design decisions.
- We use a structured data operating model that specifies how data is captured, managed, and applied across the organization.
- The department manager obtains stakeholder commitment for the data architecture and its intended use.
Data Controls
- My manager implements the technical mechanisms that enforce data retention, archival, and disposal policies.
- Our department maintains the technical controls and documentation needed to demonstrate compliance with data governance and regulatory standards.
- The IT Department implements and maintains the technical safeguards required to uphold data governance standards.
- Our IT Department maintains and implements technical controls to enforce the data governance policies.
- Our IT Department effectively manages access controls, authentication, and system protections to ensure compliance with data governance policies.
Data Governance
- The manager defines clear data ownership and stewardship roles to support accountability, quality, and consistent decision-making.
- The chief data officer effectively leads the data governance program.
- The manager provides leadership, strategic direction, and ensures data governance policies are developed and implemented.
- We maintain a data operating model that maps where data originates, how it moves through systems, and how it supports business processes.
- Our team follows a defined data operating model that clarifies data sources, ownership, flows, and business use.
- The team leader ensures data is classified, protected, and handled according to organizational policies and regulatory requirements.
- Our team operates under a clear data operating model that outlines data inputs, stewardship roles, and intended business uses.
Data Integration
- Our team manages data integration across platforms to ensure consistent, high-quality information for operational and strategic use.
- We consolidate and harmonize data from diverse sources to enable reliable applications and enterprise insights.
- Our team integrates data from multiple systems to support applications, analytics, and strategic decision-making.
- Our team integrates data from a variety of sources for applications and strategic insight.
- The manager coaches teams in advanced technical concepts, helping them troubleshoot complex issues and strengthen long-term technical capability.
- Provides technical direction by defining architectures, standards, and best practices that guide system design and implementation.
Analytical and Problem Solving
- I can analyze system behavior and improve speed, scalability, and resource efficiency.
- My team diagnoses complex issues using structured methods--identifying root causes and long-term fixes.
- I can work with cross-functional teams (network, apps, security) to resolve incidents.
- I know how to apply SDLC or Agile practices consistently from design through deployment.
- Our department identifies technical, operational, and security risks early and proposes mitigation strategies.
- The project manager translates business needs into clear, actionable technical requirements.
Technical Leadership Competency
- The manager breaks work into manageable increments; estimates effort and prioritizes effectively.
- Managers review the IT Department performance over the past year to determine best strategies for moving forward.
- The project manager relies on risk-management checklists to guide the development of IT controls that maintain system stability and reduce operational risk.
- The manager designs and implements effective IT policies, processes, and procedures that strengthen departmental performance and impact.
- My manager identifies strategic initiatives for the department.
- We ensure development practices align with security, data governance, and regulatory requirements.
- The department creates streamlined IT policies and processes that enhance overall efficiency and overall effectiveness.
- Our department assesses tools, frameworks, and platforms for suitability, cost, and long-term value.
- The project manager coaches developers, reviews code, and builds team capability.
- My manager defines architectures, coding standards, and best practices for the team.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- Colleagues stay current with industry trends, languages, and best practices.
- Our department incorporates user feedback, usability principles, and accessibility standards.
- Our team advocates for architectural or process changes that reduce risk.
- My coworkers identify inefficiencies and propose enhancements to workflows, tools, or architecture.
- The manager identifies opportunities to reduce incident volume and improve stability.
- Our manager evaluates new tools, frameworks, and patterns for potential adoption.
- The project manager participates in post-incident reviews and contributes to action items.
Issues and Trends Analysis
- The department conducts structured root-cause analysis of technical incidents to identify underlying issues and determine the appropriate remediation steps and resources.
- Our team uses structured RCA techniques (5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, fault trees).
- Our department distinguishes between symptoms and true root causes.
- I know how to review incident data to identify systemic issues.
- This department monitors logs, alerts, and performance metrics for anomalies.
- The team leader investigates underlying causes of recurring or high-impact incidents.
- Our team validates findings with technical experts and stakeholders.
- Incidents are analyzed to trace issues to their true technical root cause and defined the corrective actions, resources, and owners needed to resolve them.
- IT staff conduct root-cause analysis of issues and coordinate the necessary technical actions, resources, and teams to implement effective solutions.
- My service team applies correct categories, priorities, and service levels to service requests.
- My manager identifies recurring patterns that may indicate underlying problems.
- Coworkers record incidents with complete, clear, and accurate details.
- I ensure tickets are traceable and auditable.
Troubleshoot/Triage/Prioritize
- IT Staff are good at troubleshooting issues to get to the root cause of the problem.
- My partner applies structured troubleshooting methods to isolate the issue.
- Supervisors escalate high-impact incidents immediately and appropriately.
- Our team routes issues to the correct support tier or resolver group.
- Associates gather logs, screenshots, and error messages.
- The team effectively performs initial diagnostics to narrow down the issue.
- Colleagues assess incident severity based on business impact and urgency.
- I can implement temporary workarounds when needed to restore service quickly.
- Coworkers use diagnostic tools, logs, and known-error databases to identify likely causes.
- Colleagues provide temporary workarounds when possible.
- The team lead facilitates bridge calls for major incidents.
Resolution and Closure
- I use scripts, knowledge articles, and diagnostic tools to effectively address the needs of users.
- I avoid unnecessary escalations by applying known solutions.
- We ensure documentation is complete for future reference.
- The manager confirms service restoration with the user before closing the ticket.
- My team resolves common issues (password resets, access requests, basic troubleshooting).
Knowledgebase Contributions
- The IT Department maintains good documentation on any changes or issues.
- Managers ensure lessons learned are shared with service desk and support teams.
- My team updates troubleshooting guides and runbooks.
- Coworkers share insights from user interactions to improve support materials.
- Our team identifies gaps in documentation and suggests new articles.
- My manager updates or flags outdated knowledge content.
- Our team documents known errors and workarounds in the knowledge base.
Clear and Timely Communication
- The IT Department keeps us informed of major changes to the software applications being used.
- There is adequate communication between Information Technology and our department.
- The shift manager ensures handoffs between shifts or teams are complete and accurate.
- My colleagues are able to explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences.
- My technical lead documents actions taken, symptoms observed, and resolution steps.
- Rapid response teams communicate incident details clearly to technical teams.
- Service reps provide users with status updates and expected resolution timelines.
Customer Focused Support
- I receive adequate support from the IT Department.
- IT Department staff usually have the answers when I need help.
- The IT Department is quick to respond to my issues.
- IT Department responds quickly when equipment or software breaks down.
- Associates works with technical teams to prioritize remediation efforts.
- Service desk technicians provide courteous, patient, and professional assistance.
- Associates listen actively to understand user issues and context.
- My teammates track progress on problem tickets until permanent resolution is achieved.
- Service desk associates set realistic expectations for resolution and follow-up.
- The supervisor recommends effective long-term fixes, design changes, or process improvements.
Service Desk
- Service desk techs follow defined workflows and approval processes.
- Service desk technicians escalate issues promptly when beyond Tier 1 capability.
- Our team tracks escalated tickets and ensures follow-through.
- The service desk provides complete information to higher-tier teams.
- Help desk analysts quickly process standard requests (software installs, access provisioning).
- Service desk technicians ensure timely and accurate delivery of requested services.
Expertise
- If I have an IT problem, I know who to contact.
- Information Technology staff at this Company are easy to approach with a work related problem.
- IT leaders cultivate effective, high-trust relationships with senior leadership to advance enterprise goals.
- IT leaders collaborate closely with senior leadership to support organizational priorities.
- IT leadership maintains strong, trust-based partnerships with senior leaders across the organization.
- IT leadership has established credibility and strong working relationships with senior executives.