Project/Program Management: Knowledge must be transferred in the IT industry

  Technology Project Management

Project/Program Management: Knowledge must be transferred in the IT Industry
Seasoned IT professionals no longer in the work force to provide knowledge transfer (laid off or retired), Inexperienced and experienced IT professionals working extended hours, having extensive and dual responsibilities, burning out. You also have confusion about Business Analyst (BA) and System Analyst (SA) roles and responsibilities. Their skills set are different with one having more business process and requirements knowledge and more technical (product/system) modeling and functional requirements knowledge. The skill sets and roles are different. In some cases now the roles and responsibilities are being required for one position, but ensure that the skill set exist also. This is why knowledge transfer, the documenting and use of lessons and learned and best (and good) practices is absolutely essential to reverse the trend of an unsatisfactorily projects and program failure rate.

IT Best Practice Processes

Technology Project Management

Best Practice Processes and their BEST (and Good) Practices

ITBest Practice Processes (BPPs): Project/Program Management, the Development Process (Methodology), Configuration Management, and Quality Assurance. Program/Project Managers (IT Program/Project Management) must plan and implement best Practice Processes (BPPs) and their best and good practices (Read Best Practices Here...). Let’s consider each and what they do for a project or program, why they are essential to plan and implement for each and every project and program. Tailor BPPs as required based on the solution, approach and the development methodology (ies) to be used.

Collaborate! IT and Business Projects and Programs Management, Sales, Contract Management and IT/Technology organizations

Technology Project Management

IT and Business Projects and Programs Management, Sales, Contract Management and IT/Technology organizations must collaborate!

I worked during my career for a company that required just that kind of collaboration and developed an engagement manual/document that presented the policy, process and activities to ensure/enforce (respsonsibilities and accountabilities) the collobration leading to realistic and coordinated projects and programs.

Sales and Technology Departments or groups must collaborate and work up front together (collaborate), as required, before contract award and throughout the contract award process. This process would ensure that Sales and Contract Management/Administration get it right (cost/price for projects/programs) because the Technology organization understands and knows that they have to provide to the sales and contract process realistic data first. This technical and cost information is provided to Sales and Contracts with min and max cost and not just a financial cost (not realistic) that is detrimental to the achievement of the business/company busines plan/strategy or project and program goals “to win a contract or satisfy a management or  client's/customer's unrealistic expectations.

IT Project and Program Plans and Schedules (Successful Lesson Learned)

Technology Project Management

IT project and program plans and schedules must be created and used for large scale projects and programs.

No one is saying that a plan is not subject to revision or change, but through control updating and change control processes. It is also a tool that supports status reporing including for "stand ups". But failing to appropriately plan is a serious mistake to make for large scales projects or programs.For large scale projects and programs (multimillion dollar contracts) more detail is required for planning, and that planning must extend further out to allow estimates to be more realistic and accurate. Customers/client must be comfortable with estimates for the money/cost for projects and programs. For Agile development processes this could be an issue with short term planning.

With the plans, at the Go or No Go gates, it will be important to examine where you are, if any modifications are required, or if it is a "No" to move on to the next phase or iteration required. Also, at the gates any adjustments that have to made, any refactoring that must be considered, can be evaluated. Revisions and changes to plans or the system/product's development can be approved through the proper Change and Configuration Control process.

Technology Project Program Management

Technology Project Management Best Practices

Project Managers, Business and System Analysts have Different Responsibilities

Recently their have been job descriptions requesting a Project Manager/Business Analyst (PM/BA). A Business Analyst and Systems Analyst (SA) have different roles and responsibilities. A BA relates to the Business side and gathers requirements and specifies/documents business requirements and SA relates to the Technical side and analyses is problems, supports the determination of solutions and business requirements to create and specify functional and non-functional requirements.

That's why is it important to understand the differences and that anyone applying for a BA or SA position must pay particular attention to the responsibilities and skills sets/qualifications required. The PM, BA, and SA have different roles and extensive responsibilities. With a small project you may have a PM doing some BA work but don’t kid yourself. For intermediate and large scale projects and programs they have full time responsibilities. Many IT Project Managers manage multiple projects but the responsibilities are basically the same.

The Need For Proven Best Practices For Project Success

Technology Best Practice Processes
 
There are serious concerns going forward in 2011 regarding IT project and program failures, including ERP, SCM and VOIP. Some IT professionals in the industry don’t think that changes required to reduce the rate of failure, or to stop this disastrous trend, is forth coming. In one article this seems to be the case, including a statement by an IT professional, “…he sees no immediate end to trouble projects….”
 
But with knowledge transfer, the documenting and USE of lessons learned and best and good practices there would be changes that increase the success rate for IT projects and programs. Also Best Practices are subject to improvement, must be used before the project or program is initiated (feasibility, to determine what is the best solution), be used for implementation or execution, and for closing out projects and programs.
 
Serious steps must be taken by IT professionals, senior management, Vendors and Subcontractors, e.g., system integration and developers, and customers.

Yes, there are several significant challenges and issues (See 10 ....) that lead to troubled or failed projects or programs)and but there are solutions and we must be diligent and committed to make the changes to increase the Success rate.
 
And while we have listed Challenges and Issues that lead to troubled and failed projects and programs, there are several more issues:
Seasoned IT professionals no longer in the work force to provide knowledge transfer (laid off or retired), Inexperienced and experienced IT professionals working extended hours, having extensive and dual responsibilities, burning out.
 
[Read More...] Proven Best Practices are being presented to overcome the Challenges and Issues.

Total Quality Management

Technology Project Management Best Practices

Whatever happened to Total Quality Management (TQM) which was a focus on a company’s internal requirements to improve the quality of its operations, products and services, with a customer focus? The emphasis was that quality is the responsibility of everyone, and it provided a feedback process and mechanism for employees and staff to submit suggestions for improvement. Is it just a buzz word during theses difficult economic times?