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Every development shop wants to be seen as a strategic partner with their business clients. You know that you want the development resources allocated in a way that provides the most value to the business. You also know that your development resources are not limitless. So, how does your company determine what projects get funding and which ones do not? Do you initiate development projects based on who screams the loudest or do you have a process to prioritize and rationalize the work that gets done?
A project approval process is part of an overall business process called portfolio management. Other parts of portfolio management include the planning and scheduling of projects during the budget year, keeping track of progress on the approved projects throughout the year and measuring the effectiveness of the projects as they complete. In most mature (non-startup) companies, the project approval process occurs when the budgets are set for the following fiscal year. (This contrasts with the planning horizon for a new start-up company. The planning horizon for them might be tomorrow or maybe the next quarter.)
Why do IT Projects Fail?
Awareness of Factors Leading to Failure
From this research, a number of factors have an impact on the effectiveness of most IT projects. Organizations must deploy a robust project management process Soft skills, such as team-building, ability to communicate effectively, problem-solving skills, leadership skills, analytical thinking are key project management skills. Executive sponsors must clearly understand their roles and responsibilities in a project environment and must provide the essential support needed. To ensure feasibility, the careful filtering and selection (or rejection) of a project early on will have a positive impact on that project’s future success.
Was Your Project Really Successful or Not?
You have all read the stories about the large number of IT projects that fail. Depending on the report you read, half or more of these projects fail - perhaps as high as 80%. According to the reports, the larger the project, the greater the chance that it will be a failure. Let’s assume that the number of failed projects is 50% - the low number. What is interesting is to try to relate that number to personal experience. Where are all of these failed projects coming from? Can you say that half or more of the projects that you managed were failures?
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Transition Activities for a New Manager
Transition Activities for a New Manager
Internal Process Improvement
• Re-established service request process for documenting and prioritizing client discretionary requests.
• Established ongoing status and prioritization meetings with clients for all major active applications.
• Set up weekly status meetings between Director and Project Managers for all active projects.
• Set up status reporting process to maintain visibility with our clients about the overall state of work from our group.
• Started collecting metrics on how we are fulfilling service requests, including the number of requests opened and closed each month.
Read more...
Internal Process Improvement
• Re-established service request process for documenting and prioritizing client discretionary requests.
• Established ongoing status and prioritization meetings with clients for all major active applications.
• Set up weekly status meetings between Director and Project Managers for all active projects.
• Set up status reporting process to maintain visibility with our clients about the overall state of work from our group.
• Started collecting metrics on how we are fulfilling service requests, including the number of requests opened and closed each month.
Recession-Proof Your Business by Recession-Proofing IT
Whatever the economic realities may be, technology is an integral part of majority of business operations the world over. How do you maintain your tech-reliant operations in the midst of a challenging business climate?
Most global businesses depend on technology and business partners to run their operations smoothly while improving margins. In all economic climates, businesses that engage the specialization of the best technology and service providers are also best positioned to establish their brands and build customer loyalty. In the first place, what they can save on support operations and product development can be re-invested in improving market reach and further innovation.
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