Dear Bob ... As an applications manager, I often wonder exactly how much detail should I know about an application. I get hundred of questions about application design, functionality, servers, files, and databases, most I can answer, but there are a couple that I may have some difficulty with and it starts me to wonder, how much should I know? Any thoughts? - Insufficiently expert Dear Expert ... There is no bla Dear Bob … As an applications manager, I often wonder exactly how much detail should I know about an application. I get hundred of questions about application design, functionality, servers, files, and databases, most I can answer, but there are a couple that I may have some difficulty with and it starts me to wonder, how much should I know? Any thoughts? – Insufficiently expert Dear Expert … There is no blanket answer to your question. It depends on: How big an IT organization you have; how the organization is structured; whether the applications were developed in-house or are commercial packages; who is asking; and why (among other variables). Much of what you describe should be described in the documentation. Should your knowledge of the documentation be comprehensive? No. Should you be entirely ignorant, so that you have to rely on the documentation for everything? Again, no. Re-reading your question, you might be asking me about knowledge of the discipline rather than knowledge of your company’s IT environment – in other words, how much should you know about SOA, blades, methodologies, products and so on. Again there’s no single answer. Some application managers focus their attention on team-building, some on methodology; some on architecture, some on being able to deal with company politics (and always a combination – nobody should rely on a single strength). Here’s a short answer to your question: You aren’t obligated to be a human encyclopedia. You are required to master the discipline sufficiently to provide leadership to your team – to paint a credible and compelling account of where you want to take the organization. Now let me answer the question you didn’t ask: How should you decide what you should concentrate on? The answer to that depends on what is working well in your organization and what needs improvement. Many managers make the decision based on their personal style and aptitudes. My opinion is that this is a mistake. Start with what the organization needs instead, and acquire whatever skills and knowledge you need so that you can provide it. – Bob Technology Industry