The end of a quarter brings with it an opportunity to take stock of your goals, your department efficiency, and how you are serving your end users and helping to meet the broader strategic goals of your company.

That's a lot to sort through, especially for busy IT managers who are, at any given time, juggling an array of projects while putting out fires. It is, however, an important exercise to stay on track or get back on track if issues and other concerns have made meeting goals more challenging.

Here are some areas to examine when conducting your own Q1 assessment:

We speak with IT/telecom managers regularly who are in the tight position of attempting to meet goals created during Q4 of last year while keeping today's operations running efficiently. If this sounds like you, give us a shout. Our IT/telecom industry veterans know your world. We'll be glad to discuss your challenges and provide insights to help you get your goals back on track for a more successful Q2.