Your project plans need to be detailed for the near term so that everyone knows: What they are working on, What their accountability is for the deliverables and quality and How this fits into the greater objective. The only thing that is certain about a long-term detailed plan is that it will be wrong. PMs can …
Category: Project planning
Jun 17
The Global Project Managers toolkit
As you venture forth on a multinational project delivery, what tools you need to increase the chances of success? As soon as you start to cross borders, the geographic and cultural separation mean that the trusted team management techniques such as “Management by walking around” and “the team that drinks together, thinks together” no longer …
Feb 09
It’s time to kill big IT contracts
“I’ve met many programme directors who’ve said ‘I’m doing a £100m programme’, I say ‘I feel very sorry for you’” Phil Pavitt – the man in charge of the UK government’s largest IT outsourcing deal – believes Whitehall needs to end its love affair with supersized IT contracts. See the interview on Silicon.com : http://bit.ly/bRj2wU
Jan 08
I have a cunning plan..
Building your project plan is the most critical step in any project. Your plan is the basic way of measuring the progress of the project – and if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it. If your project is to be successful it must start with a solid plan. Much of comedy of BlackAdders sidekick and servant …
Aug 07
Passing the point of no return
Pilots will know that when you are taking off there is a speed called V1. The plane has reached such a speed that there is not enough runway ahead of you to stop. So you are committed to take-off. Unfortunately V1 is usually less than V2 – the speed at which the plane can safely …
Jul 27
Labour Saving Devices
Very occasionally an IT project will be producing something totally new and innovative which hasn’t existed before. But the vast majority of IT change is all about improving business efficiency. The business case for the projects will have the costs of the projects which are offset by the benefits of reducing costs – most of …
Jun 30
Risks out of control
In any project some of the projects costs and benefits are out of your control. Not through any fault of the project. It’s just the way it is.In any business case there will be a number of macroeconomic and other external factors in play, and with the market discontinuity in the last year these have …
Apr 07
Increase Sales! and other lies to justify IT
“The website for the ten million pound sales campaign with this partner will take just two days effort to develop!” appealed the sales leader to the Star Chamber for technology project justification. “This is not going to increase our revenue by one pound” said the CEO. “Our web developers’ time is better spent on other …
Mar 17
See if you go for the lease option..
“It’s inexplicable, but the low-cost system I sold you seems woefully underpowered. You could replace it with another vendor’s system, thus showing everybody you made a mistake. Or you can pay my outrageous upgrade fees.” says Catbert to Pointy Haired Boss. Pointy Haired Boss replies: “How big a fool do you think I am?”Catbert: “I …
Mar 04
Anything is better than what we have..
When building a business case for a project it is all too easy to go for your first option.OK, you haven’t said its a “no brainer” and got the differences in cost, and the shiney benefits. But with some thought you can justify anything. But have you included the full costs, and factored in all …
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