Risk Management for IT Projects
How to Deal with Over 170 Issues and Risks
Published on 16. June 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-0-12-370534-1 (ISBN)
Description
The rate of failure of IT projects has remained little changed in survey after survey over the past 15-20 years over 40-50 per cent. This has happened in spite of new technology, innovative methods and tools, and different management methods. Why does this happen? Why cant the situation be better? One reason is that many think of each IT effort as unique. In reality, many IT projects are very similar at a high, strategic level. Where they differ is in the people and in the exact events. If you read the literature or have been in information systems or IT for some time, you have seen the same reasons for failure and the same problems and issues recur again and again. In this book, IT Management experts Ben Lientz and Lee Larssen show you how to identify and track the recurring issues leading to failure in IT projects and provide a proven, modern method for addressing them. By following the recommendations in this books readers can significantly reduce the risk of IT failures and increase the rate of success.
Benefits of using this approach are: issues are identified giving more time for solution and action; issues are resolved more consistently since the approach tracks on their repetition; and you get an early warning of problems in IT work before the budget or schedule fall apart. Management tends to have more realistic expectations with an awareness of issues. Users and managers have greater confidence in IT due to the improved handling of issues. Since the number of issues tends to stabilize in an organization, the IT organization and management get better at detecting, preventing, and dealing with issues over time cumulative improvement. Giving attention to issues make users more realistic in their requests and acts to deter requirement changes and scope creep.
Benefits of using this approach are: issues are identified giving more time for solution and action; issues are resolved more consistently since the approach tracks on their repetition; and you get an early warning of problems in IT work before the budget or schedule fall apart. Management tends to have more realistic expectations with an awareness of issues. Users and managers have greater confidence in IT due to the improved handling of issues. Since the number of issues tends to stabilize in an organization, the IT organization and management get better at detecting, preventing, and dealing with issues over time cumulative improvement. Giving attention to issues make users more realistic in their requests and acts to deter requirement changes and scope creep.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Elsevier Science & Technology
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-12-370534-1 (9780123705341)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Bennet Lientz has taught and consulted on project management for the past 28 years to more than 5000 people. He developed the concept of the management critical path, acted as project manager of the Internet, and turned around 10 failing projects. This Second Edition is Lientz seventh book; he has also written more than 25 articles in various areas of project management. Lee Larssen has served as a business and IT manager and consultant for the past twenty-five years. She has extensive hands-on experience in the following areas: * Business process outsourcing for manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and logistics * Strategic planning for business units in manufacturing and distribution * IT outsourcing in the areas of systems operations, networking, system development, software package implementation, and systems support * IT management- managed groups of up to 150 employees * Coordinated the implementation of three major ERP systems * Implemented E-Business with suppliers for seven organizations * Developed and implemented score card measurements for IT and business processes * Management process improvement efforts for over a ten year period Education: * B.A., fine arts, Massachusetts Institute of Fine Arts, 1962 * M.A., mathematics, Oxford University, 1968 Positions Held: * Consultant in process improvement and IT to over forty firms in Asia, Latin America, Australia, and Europe in the following industries, 1999-present - Manufacturing - Distribution - Logistics - Marketing - Power generation and distribution - Banking - Insurance - Natural resource development * Served as project management for implementing modules of SAP and Peoplesoft in five firms * Manager, Operations, Toyota Automotive Group, 1979- 1999 * Consultant as IT manager to firms, 1974-1979 - Graphic arts - Sports management - Distribution - Marketing
Content
Part 1: Issues and Risk Management 1. Introduction 2. Effective Issues Management and Coordination 3. Analysis and Measurements of Issues and Risk Part 2: Internal Issues and Risk 4. Teams 5. The Work 6. Business Units 7. Management 8. Projects 9. Resistance to Change Part 3: External Issues and Risks 10. Vendors, Consultants, and Outsourcing 11. Headquarters 12. Technology Part 4: Issues and Risks in Specific IT Activities 13. IT Strategic Planning 14. Analysis 15. Software Packages 16. Development 17. Implementation Appendices