September 17th, 2009

7 fundamentals of IT project success

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 6:56 am

Categories: Governance, IT issues, Project management, Project portfolio management, Project strategy

Tags: Project, Information Technology, Failure, Project Management, Tools & Techniques, Strategy, It Operations, It service Management, Management, Michael Krigsman

Many folks think large projects usually fail for technical reasons–software that doesn’t work as advertised, bugs, and so on. In reality, that’s not the case.

In my experience, the most serious project issues come down to misplaced expectations among participants. Fundamentally, problems in human communication lie at the root of most failures.

These expectation and communication mismatches are difficult to detect systematically, because they aren’t quantitative or technical in nature. Failures persist despite fancy project management methodologies, precisely because traditional approaches do not isolate and address hidden problems.

These seven points of project success touch on conflicting agendas, multiple perspectives, and a broad range of business-oriented conditions that drive projects to succeed or fail:

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August 7th, 2009

Five reasons to fire your system integrator

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 7:24 am

Categories: CIO issues, Consulting, IT issues, Project management, Vendor relationships

Tags: Consultant, System Integrator, Remote Access, Blogging, Outsourcing, Internet, It Operations, Business Operations, Outsourcing & Subcontracting, Michael Krigsman

Today’s post is written by guest blogger, Phil Simon, an independent systems consultant and author of the excellent book Why New Systems Fail.

Although consultants make easy scapegoats when projects go wrong, there are definitely times when you should replace the incumbent.

Here are five good reasons to get rid of your system integrator:

1. The consultants are difficult to work with. If their attitude isn’t helpful then antagonism arises and the project will suffer. However, don’t mistake “being difficult” with being honest.
2. The consultants are inexperienced. No consultant knows the answer to every client question. However, if their answer to the most basic questions is routinely “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” then show them the door. Be wary of SI’s that promise you rock stars but give you trainees.
3. The SI’s management is not responsive. Excessive turnaround time from the project or client manager exacerbates delays and causes problems. Give the consultants an opportunity to cure the problem, but if they don`t then cut the cord.
4. The SI churns your account. Don`t haggle over inconsequential sums, but overcharging is a cardinal sin. Do not ever accept an SI that works inefficiently just to rack up billable hours.
5. The SI’s travel expenses are unreasonably high. Travel is a necessary part of business, but excessive travel is bad news. In today`s economy, every consulting company should consider ways to reduce travel costs with remote access, collaboration software, and other tools.

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July 8th, 2009

The truth about zombie projects

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 8:12 am

Categories: CIO issues, IT issues, Project management

Tags: Project, Zombie Project, Project Management, Tools & Techniques, Team Management, Strategy, Blogging, It Operations, It service Management, Management

Zombie projects are failures that just won’t die. These monstrosities stick around because they’re a hassle to fix and no one is willing to muster the effort or courage needed to do the final deed.

• Related: 7 tips to safely kill zombie projects

Although it’s not a new topic, a post today on the client k blog does advance our insight and understanding of these nasty beasts. Client k is interesting, because all her posts are written in free style verse (!); yes, it’s weird, but actually does work.

Anyway, I’m reprinting the client k post in its entirety, because it’s short and I don’t want to break the rhythm:

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June 29th, 2009

Enterprise 2.0: The Kumbaya irony

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 4:11 pm

Categories: CIO issues, Cultural issues, Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Enterprise2conf, IT issues, Project management, SaaS, PaaS, and SOA

Tags: Enterprise 2.0, Tasks, Groups, Current Resource Allocation Process, Dissenters, Michael Krigsman

Last week I attended the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston. It’s one of my favorite events, primarily because so many online friends attend from around the world and I enjoy their company. Despite overwhelming good will among participants, the conference exposed gaps between expectations and reality that continue to plague the Enterprise 2.0 world.

Enterprise 2.0 aspirations. Enterprise 2.0 suggests a network of organizational activities involving collaboration, cooperation, and engagement as part of a broader ethos of social interaction in business. Professor Andrew McAfee, formerly of Harvard Business School and currently with MIT, coined the phrase Enterprise 2.0. Andy recently blogged about implications of this new system of thought on managing organizations and leading teams.

Andy’s blog elaborated on a piece in the Wall Street Journal by Gary Hamel, which describes “12 work-relevant characteristics of online life.” The post provides a convenient summary of an Enterprise 2.0 view of management:

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June 5th, 2009

Kill your dead horse failures fast!

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 5:16 am

Categories: CIO issues, Governance, IT issues, Project management, Uncategorized

Tags: Project, Investment, Workforce Management, Finance, Human Resources, Michael Krigsman

Some projects will never (as in no chance, baby) achieve intended goals, despite substantial investment of time, resources, and political capital. Even so, many organizations find it difficult to terminate these inevitable failures because of fear, denial, shortsightedness, or lack of consensus.

A post from the Self Improvement Revolution blog hits directly on difficulties associated with ending failures mid-stream:

But the resulting mindset for the project effort can often be so focused on getting the project back on track that it pays no attention to the fact that the project may very well be a dead horse that is still being flogged. It is wise to be open to the possibility that the project is a like a horse that will never run again. So stop flogging it!

It often takes courage to close a project prematurely because often you are likely to upset someone further up the hierarchy. Closing a project early is not for the faint of heart who are afraid to upset the boss, which is why independent consultants often step up to the mark and do the necessary.

There are many large smelly projects that were the brainchild of a C-level executive still laying in dark corners of companies. They have often become irrelevant, expensive and a complete waste of time and effort. No one has the courage to get the executive in question to face up to the fact that their project was not the best idea after all.

There’s truth hidden in the hyperbole of this excerpt.

Allowing a dead horse project to run its course means greater expense, more wasted time, and continued investment of political capital. As a result, the consequences of termination only become worse over time. For your own sake, kill these failures sooner than later.

[Image via iStockphoto.]

April 15th, 2009

IT scapegoats and blame

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 8:16 am

Categories: CIO issues, Cultural issues, IT issues, Project management, Uncategorized

Tags: Information Technology, Strategy, Management, Michael Krigsman

Some folks avoid taking personal responsibility for their role in failed projects by shifting blame to innocent bystanders. IT failures blogger, Sarah Runge, dissects the scapegoat phenomenon with accurate insight (emphasis added):

This is often a sorry consequence of failed or derailed IT projects. Everyone is responsible for the project and no one is accountable for its outcomes. This issue will become even more apparent as the project progresses. Over a period of 1, 2 or 3 years people will either leave the organization/project or will otherwise forget who was actually accountable for having made the critical investment and planning decisions in the first place. So what can project sponsors do when they get that sinking feeling that an IT project is heading into deep waters? Hunt for scapegoats!

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April 13th, 2009

Interview: SAP's global head of project operations [podcast]

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 7:39 am

Categories: CIO issues, Devil's Triangle, Governance, IT issues, Interview, Podcast, Project management, Project portfolio management, Project strategy, SAP, Uncategorized

Tags: Project, Podcast, Information Technology, Project Manager, SAP AG, Paul, Project Management, Tools & Techniques, Strategy, It Operations

Sound business strategy and solid execution are the foundation stones of all successful IT projects. For organizations running multiple projects, execution means consistency across an entire portfolio.

As one of the largest enterprise software vendors, SAP’s core competency includes precisely this kind of portfolio management. To better understand SAP’s strategic thinking on managing complex IT projects, I spoke with Paul Ritchie, the company’s Head of Global Project Management Operations.

Paul’s team is responsible for the project management processes, tool, methodologies, and training used by 1200 SAP project managers around the world. He’s also Chairman of the Global Corporate Council at the Project Management Institute (PMI), which suggests the broad importance and influence attached to this SAP role.

The podcast (see the player at the top of this post) offers an intimate glimpse inside SAP’s work on project portfolio management, governance, and project delivery strategy. Here’s a summary of key issues Paul and I discuss in the podcast:

What does “project management operations” mean?

Project management operations (or project management office, also called PMO) represent the critical link between a company’s strategy and it’s actual project delivery.

Four pillars support SAP’s PMO:

1. Process, such as project management methodologies that describe how to run projects and programs

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April 8th, 2009

IT failures town hall: Risks of survival [podcast]

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 4:08 pm

Categories: CIO issues, End-user impact, Governance, IT issues, Podcast, Project management

Tags: Podcast, Information Technology, Strategy, Management, Michael Krigsman

For this installment of the IT failures town hall discussion series, I spoke about failures during these challenging economic times with independent industry analyst Jonathan Yarmis.

As you can see from the slide presentation below, Jonathan and I covered a range of failure-related issues affected by the economy. Although our perspectives are different, which comes across as good-natured debate in the podcast, we agreed on several points:

• Economic tensions have exacerbated built-in conflicts and organizational agendas to the detriment of running successful IT projects.
• IT has an uphill battle fighting low cost, easy-to-deploy solutions brought in by end users. The IT / business divide remains a significant issue, but wise IT departments will make strong efforts to reach across the fence.
• While cloud computing solutions do not offer an IT failure panacea, reduced implementation scope combined with outsourced infrastructure can reduce some failure rates.
• Many organizations make expedient short-term decisions that will come back to cause problems later. Although it’s hard to consider medium- or long-term consequences in today’s tough environment, avoiding this critical issue will eventually make things worse.
• Fear militates against project success. We discussed this important issue toward the end of the conversation and it’s mentioned as a concluding point on slide 13.

Click the slide presentation below to follow along as you listen to the recording:

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April 1st, 2009

IT failure contributes to UK bank collapse

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 12:24 pm

Categories: CIO issues, Governance, IT issues, Project management, Project strategy, Uncategorized

Tags: Software, Bank, Risk, Information Technology, Banking, U.K., Temenos, Temenos Newsletter, Tools & Techniques, Strategy

A failed business strategy involving a large IT blunder contributed to the collapse of Scotland’s largest customer-owned lender, the Dunfermline Building Society. As a result, the Society is writing off a £9.5 million IT loss, despite total profit for the year of only £11 million.

The UK government will pay Nationwide Building Society 1.6 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) in cash to purchase the troubled bank.

The Financial Times reports:

Jim Murphy, Scotland secretary, said the previous management had made “reckless decisions” because of its over-exposure to commercial loans, involvement in the subprime market and unfortunate decisions on technology. Dunfermline was forced to make a £9.5m write-off on last year’s £11m profits because of a failed IT system.

Finextra reports that the company lost focus by attempting to establish a software business selling mortgage-processing systems to other banks:

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February 26th, 2009

20 cynical project management tips

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 6:12 am

Categories: IT issues, Project management, Project strategy, Uncategorized

Tags: Project, Project Manager, Government, Project Management, Tools & Techniques, Strategy, Public Relations, Vertical Industries, It Operations, It service Management

Ever wonder why so many projects fail? Well, here’s your guide to the seamy underbelly of IT project management.

From Tony Collins, who writes a well-researched blog on government-related IT failures in the UK:

1. Projects with realistic budgets and timetables don’t get approved
2. The more desperate the situation the more optimistic the progress report
3. A user is somebody who rejects the system because it’s what he asked for
4. The difference between project success and failure is a good PR company

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