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?

 

Configuration Management Defined

Technology Best Practices

Research over the years to understand what is “out there” for definitions for Configuration Management, especially system and software, leads to many difference and inconsistencies. Two in particular are:

1. http://searchcio-market.techtarget.com/sDefinitions
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Configuration Management.

The former is incorrect or not complete enough which could lead to confusion, misunderstanding and incorrect, or incomplete, application of configuration management to any project or program. Refer to ITPro articele (=> Configuration Management Explained)  for an understanding of applying configuration management.

Project and Program Manager Responsibilities #pm

Technology Best Practices

Managing projects and programs. A Project and Program Manager must be responsible and accountable. Whether you like it or not you are the leader, and not just a facilitator. It’s is also easy to be a “yes man” (person) but harder than you think to say “no” to a your boss/management, stakeholder, customer/user. But when it is necessary if you see a troubled project or program, speak up, document the issues with justification. Present your case well.

The buck stops here/at the top: Leaders/Leadership – takes responsibility, be accountable – (Read: Management and Ethics) Understand there are consequences whether good or bad. There are consequences/unknowns but do the right thing, be ethical, have some integrity. Yes, be trusted.

Project and Program Management Office (PMOs)

Technical Best Practice Processes

P/PMO and program management, buzz words at one time and often the value not
understood by many the past 5-10 years back or the latter part of the 20th century,
especially in the commercial environment, but now an emphasis for past several years
to drive IT and technology implementations.

But failed IT projects have required stronger management and control: Now, over
the past 5 years, especially in the commercial environment, establishing program and
project management offices necessary and why?

Some benefits and advantages:

• Governance, with standards Project and Program Management methodologies
• Cost Saving with consistent and standard project and program management
• Profitability Improvement
• Productive and successful projects and programs
• Organizational and business operational improvement
• Cultural shift to project and program management
• Staff professional development in project and program management
• Standard tools and techniques
• The maturity of Project Management (PM) – improvement (change, lessons learned, knowledge bases-knowledge transfer), advancing to program management, and establishing effective Project/Program Management Offices
• Trained and coached project and program managers

 

Statistics over IT project/program failure rate.

Technology Best Practice Processes

Read full post here: http://www.it-cortex.com/Stat_Failure_Rate.htm

Researchers have been reporting on IT projects and programs, enterprise-wide, failures
but what about the successes and why? We have all heard, and are reading about the failures
of large scale projects such as Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP failures + Success) and enterprise-wide system and application implementations. But how can
they be successful? We can help the failures by using proven best practices!

>> Read the ERP Failures and Proven Best Practices Whitepapers

ERP Failure 10 Implementation Flaws - ERP Success Best Practices Technology Project Program Management Best Practices-Lessons Learned

Technology Best Practices

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): Top 10 Reasons for Failure

=>Download Your ERP Best Practices Report & Comparison Guide

With many information technology projects considered failures (see Standish Chaos Press Release) during the last decade, where do we go from here?

When considering implementation of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), an organization must determine the best solution for their business operations. Overcoming the challenges presented is critical to have successful implementation of an ERP solution. It’s interesting that many failed ERP implementations have much in common with other large scale IT failures.

The following are challenges that have led to troubled, or failed, ERP projects and programs:

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