I can say that I do work for a great company with a great IT shop. We're 6 staff in the home office, 2 of which are executive level. There's a lot of work to be done, but we all get along and we get it done.

I read the list of the 10 signs of a great IT shop and while I think some of those items have merit, you have to take into consideration whether it works for your envrionment. Where I was previously used to be very "loosey goosey". Do what needed to be done to complete the task. Then about two years ago, we had a major power outage in the city and our DR plan failed to go as designed. The owners thought it represented a lack of preparation in the IT department (to which maybe there was a little) so they hired a CIO. In 3 months he and his newly hired management team implemented 8 of the 10 items on that list. Life in IT was miserable. We couldn't get anything done. Projects fell behind because we spent more time documenting and asking if we could work on something rather than doing it. And to make it worse, if you didn't fit the new CIO's model, you were pretty much forced out. It's ultimately what drove me to leave.

I definitely believe there is merit to that list. Formalized processes and procedures are needed at some times, but don't overkill it. Make sure the people are getting the work done and are happy about it. I love where I'm at now! I write up rough project plans and timelines, but no one hovers over my shoulder to make sure I'm submitting a request, then a plan, then a timeline, then etc. So long as I don't blow anything up or make a poor decision, I'm good.

I guess that's a long winded way of saying, do what's right for your IT shop. Don't implement a new process if it doesn't make sense for your environment.