Tim Armstrong runs IT for a construction company with a team of four serving 175 staff. His take on the biggest mistake IT makes: gatekeeping support behind ticket systems instead of helping people first.

Tim Armstrong is 90 days into his role as Manager of IT at PROCON, a design-build construction company in Hooksett, NH. With a four-person team serving 175 staff, he has had to build trust fast, deploy Kanban sprints from scratch, navigate shadow AI, and figure out what technology means at a company that builds buildings for a living. His philosophy: IT exists to serve, not to gatekeep.

Key takeaways: Not everything requires a ticket. Help first, document later.; Deliberately undercommit on your first sprint to calibrate real velocity.; IT leaders need to know enough to have an intelligent conversation, not enough to do everything themselves.