Picking the Right Project Manager for Your IT Project

How to pick the right project manager for your IT projectBy Ken Norland
Associate

In my previous article about “5 Ways to Improve the Chances of IT Project Success,” I stated that the first thing you need to do is to pick the right project manager for the job. While this is really not a big deal for small projects, for large projects that involve lots of people, picking the right project manager can mean the difference between success and failure.

6 Things to Look for When Hiring a Project Manager

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5 Ways to Improve the Chances of IT Project Success

Improving the chances of IT project successBy Ken Norland
Associate

The statistics are disheartening. A 2013 McKinsey survey confirmed what’s been an “open secret” for years: 71% of large IT projects have cost overruns, and on average these projects deliver 56% less value than predicted.

Why? What causes these problems, and what can you do to improve the chances of IT project success?

Read more: 5 Ways to Improve the Chances of IT Project Success

Why I Never Look at the Value Case or ROI

Evaluating IT initiatives without looking at the value case or ROIBy Mark Tonnesen
Principal

When evaluating potential IT initiatives, the most common approach is to focus on the numbers and look at the return on investment (ROI) or value case. For example, say your company is considering implementing a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Chances are the CEO and CFO will ask, "What's the value?" Or, "If the new system will cost $10 million, can you show me how it will produce a $10 million ROI?"

As far as I'm concerned, though, if you're asking about the value case or ROI when evaluating IT initiatives, you're asking the wrong question and looking at the wrong things.

Read more: Why I Never Look at the Value Case or ROI

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