Intentional ♦ Transparent ♦ Disciplined
We are the authors of the Field Guide to IT Excellence, a practical reference built around 15 tools that help IT leaders run more intentional, transparent, and disciplined organizations. Every consulting service we offer is grounded in those same tools, so you get proven frameworks backed by real-world experience, not generic advice.
Field Guide to IT Excellence
The Field Guide to IT Excellence is a practical leadership resource built for IT professionals at every stage of their career, from first-time managers stepping into leadership roles to seasoned directors and executives looking to sharpen their operational discipline. Written by IT leaders Travis Austin and Eric Manna, this book delivers 15 ready-to-use tools that address the most common and consequential challenges facing IT organizations today.
Most IT leaders are technically capable but organizationally underprepared. They understand technology but struggle with the structure, communication, accountability, and planning frameworks that separate reactive IT teams from truly strategic ones. This book was written to close that gap.
The 15 tools cover every dimension of IT leadership and operations, including: A Leadership Charter that defines vision, values, and expectations to set the tone for the team. A Maturity Model that scores IT capability across key domains and drives measurable improvement over time. A Roadmap that aligns IT initiatives with business priorities and communicates progress to leadership. A Business Partner framework that builds structured relationships between IT and the business. A RACI matrix that eliminates ambiguity around ownership and accountability. An Application and Services List that centralizes every application the organization depends on, including costs, ownership, and contract terms. Change Control and Upgrade Checklist frameworks that protect stability and reduce the risk of outages. A Budget Ownership tool that tracks spend, manages variances, and supports financial transparency. An Integration List that documents every system connection, so nothing is undocumented or misunderstood. A Solutions Checklist for evaluating new technology investments before committing. A Survey tool for gathering structured stakeholder feedback. A Service Reliability Tracker that captures outages and drives continuous improvement. And strategic frameworks for both Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence that give IT leaders a practical starting point for two of the most critical areas in modern IT.
Each chapter follows a consistent structure covering Benefits, Costs, Value Analysis, Use Cases, step-by-step Implementation guidance, and a Closing Summary. No technical prerequisites are required. The focus is on leadership, process, and the operational discipline that separates good IT teams from great ones.
Leaders who apply these tools build organizations that are intentional in how they plan, transparent in how they operate, and disciplined in how they deliver results. The Field Guide to IT Excellence is designed to be read with a pen in hand, revisited often, and put to work immediately.
Order your copy of Field Guide to IT Excellence on Amazon now.
Consulting Services
IT Organizational Health Assessment
Before you can improve, you need an honest picture of where you stand. We evaluate your IT organization across key domains including people, process, technology, and governance, and deliver a clear baseline, prioritized gaps, and a realistic improvement plan your team can act on immediately.
IT Strategic Planning & Prioritization
Competing priorities, limited resources, and shifting business demands make it hard to know what to work on and in what order. We help IT leaders build a structured, transparent plan that connects technology initiatives to business goals and gives leadership a clear view of what IT is working on and why.
Technology Portfolio Management
Most organizations don't have a clear picture of what technology they own, what it costs, who uses it, or when contracts expire. We help you build and maintain a structured view of your application and services landscape so you can make smarter decisions about what to keep, replace, or retire.
IT Governance & Accountability Design
Unclear roles, duplicated effort, and missed handoffs are symptoms of a governance problem, not a people problem. We help IT leaders define clear ownership, decision rights, and accountability structures that eliminate gray areas and keep the right people informed and engaged.
Operational Reliability & Continuous Improvement
Outages and service disruptions are inevitable. How you respond, learn, and improve is what separates good IT organizations from great ones. We help teams build the tracking, review, and improvement rhythms that reduce recurring issues and demonstrate IT's commitment to reliability.
Vendor & Integration Management
Third-party vendors and system integrations are often the least visible and most vulnerable parts of an IT environment. We help organizations document, assess, and actively manage their vendor relationships and integration landscape to reduce cost, control spend, and avoid unwanted surprises.
Cybersecurity Program Development
A cybersecurity strategy shouldn't live in a binder or a consultant's report. It needs to be something your team actually uses. We help IT leaders build practical, prioritized cybersecurity programs that address real risks, align with business operations, and create a culture of security awareness across the organization.
Get to Know Us
Travis Austin and Eric Manna have spent their careers building and leading IT organizations across industries, from high-growth startups to large-scale enterprises. They wrote the Field Guide to IT Excellence because they believe every IT leader deserves practical tools, not just good advice.