Dear Bob ... I work for a forward thinking, small to medium size company. I have been here for 17 years, and love the environment. For 16 of those years, I was a Programmer/Analyst, functioning as Manager when he was not in town. Last year, I was promoted to supervisor, taking responsibility for both networks and programming. A goal on my last evaluation was to create a five-year technology plan for the com Dear Bob …I work for a forward thinking, small to medium size company. I have been here for 17 years, and love the environment.For 16 of those years, I was a Programmer/Analyst, functioning as Manager when he was not in town. Last year, I was promoted to supervisor, taking responsibility for both networks and programming. A goal on my last evaluation was to create a five-year technology plan for the company. While I am good with new technologies, I have no idea where to start on this report.Any ideas?– Looking for the first step Dear Looking …Sure, lots of ’em. The first, at the risk of sounding like I’m using this space to advertise, is that you should engage a consulting company to help you.I’m only one quarter kidding. We’re talking about a subject that’s considerably more complex than “I have a manager who won’t listen to me.” If what you need is to be pointed in the right direction, here are four bits of guidance:1. Meet with as many people as you can, at all levels of the company, to ask what kinds of capabilities they’re thinking about and how they’re going to want their part of the business to evolve over that period of time. Don’t just transcribe, either. Look for patterns – common themes that will let you leverage technology investments over multiple areas of the business. You aren’t, after all, developing a technology plan. You’re developing a business plan about technology.2. In understanding what the business is going to need, separate strategic, tactical, and business infrastructure goals into separate (but interconnected) categories. Strategy is about fundamental business change; tactics is about incremental improvement; business infrastructure deals with “lifestyle” technologies like telephones e-mail and PDAs. 3. In developing a business plan about technology, operate at three levels: The applications portfolio, information repositories, and underlying platforms.The term “portfolio management” is getting increasing use for subjects like dealing with the suite of applications in use in a business. It isn’t a bad metaphor, either, although like any other metaphor, if you take it too literally you can drive it off a cliff. Especially in the application layer, make sure your technology plan includes current applications (and platforms) that you plan to retire over the next five years as well as new applications and platforms you plan to add. The portfolio metaphor applies less to the information layer – there, the question is what subject areas are and aren’t well supported. – Bob ——– Technology Industry