In this international programme, you will gain an insight in the dynamics of managing IT in an organization and learn the essential methods and principles to be effective as participant or manager in the world of IT and Business.

Nowadays, IT is everywhere, and its importance is still growing. In practically all organisations, business processes are supported by IT, and increasingly processes are supported by AI. To optimally use IT, IT Management is the core competence. And to meet the high demands of today’s business process automation, mastering IT management expertise’s like Digital Transformation, AI-application, Cloud Strategy, Lean IT and Agile Sourcing is paramount.

In this minor we will teach you how these methods can be used to optimize the cooperation between the business and IT. Also, we strive to bring you close to practice. In culturally mixed teams you will carry out consultancy assignments at IT companies in the Groningen area.

Professional roles associated to this program are:

• AI Consultant
• IT-business consultant
• IT Project Manager
• IT Service Manager
• Team Manager
• Product Owner

To provide you with a theoretical and methodological frame of reference, the following theoretical subjects will be covered in this programme:

Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation is achieved by using a variety of methods like the Target Operating Model (TOM) the Digital Transformation Maturity Model (DXMM). These methods are specifically applied in the context of implementing AI technology.

AI Implementation

To find the best AI solutions for organisations, methods like the AI Maturity Assessment and AI Prototyping are taught in this minor.

Managing Operational IT

On the operational level IT is managed by IT service management methods like ITIL and project management methods like Scrum. The concept of time boxed 'sprints' has been adapted by IT Development teams in record time and is still very popular.

Lean

Lean consists of a bundle of very strong methods to create efficiency. Most of these methods were developed by the Toyota factories in the 1950s. Lean focusses on minimizing waste and provides a number of smart logistic solutions. These methods have proven to be timeless and applicable for new technologies and are still very popular.

IT Governance & sourcing methods

Managing is about making choices. IT alignment is achieved if both IT and the Business are fully involved in the decision making process. This requires the right way of designing sourcing and decision making structures in an IT organisation. You will be introduced to relevant frameworks like COBIT, Agile Sourcing and the Ross & Weill framework.

Culture models

Because this programme is international, you will have to deal with people from other countries and cultures. You need to have insight in these cultures to form a common reference and to be effective in cooperative projects. This also counts for cultural differences between companies and differences between company departments. In order to identify essential aspects of culture, we will introduce you to the Schein model and the Hofstede model.

SAFe scaling agile framework

Agile methods like scrum have proven to be stable and effective methods to develop new products. But how do you manage the big picture in an Agile way? We will introduce you to the most popular Scaling Agile frameworks, Scrum @ Scale and SaFe.

The main question in IT organisations is how to get the necessary IT innovations done in a dynamic playing field comprising a wide variety of stakeholders of a typical IT environment. How do we connect different interests, different cultures and different methods accordingly? This semester will provide the principles behind these methods.

You will learn:

• to use Digital Transformation methods
• to implement AI in business processes
• to work with major market standards: Agile SCRUM for managing IT projects and ITIL4 for IT service management
• to improve process performance with LEAN
• to use the impact of (International) cultures by using the Schein and Hofstede models
• to deal with best practices concerning (Cloud) sourcing and IT Governance
• to implement Agile Governance frameworks like SaFe
• to use management and consultancy skills
• to master written and verbal skills in the English language
• to work effectively in an international team

To participate in this minor, we expect you to have passed a propaedeutic exam in higher vocational education.

This international minor is open to exchange students and students from Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences.  Usually some 35 students will participate. About half of the group consists of international students and the other half of Dutch students. The minor consists of 10 teaching units.

During two quarters a mix of teaching methods is used:

• Team assignments
• Theory classes
• Workshops
• Management games
• Company visits
• Field Trips

Assessment

The Course consists of the following Teaching Units.

Digital Transformation & AI (DTAI) 5 EC's
LEAN en Agile Project Management (LAPM) 5 EC's
Outsourcing & Agile Governance (O&G) 5 EC's
Consulting Skills & Cultural Awareness (CSCA) 5 EC's
Consultancy Project (CP) 10 EC's
Total Credits 30 EC's

To strengthen team collaboration, bridge intercultural gaps and bring students closer to practice, a number of field trips, company visits and informal activities are organized.