SpinOff and Divestitute IT Projects

Not all IT projects are growth, efficiency, or talent enablers. Periodically, IT needs to support divestiture or spin-offs. These types of projects often can involve segmenting / securing the divested business in the existing enterprise systems, so that temporary IT services can be extended for a grace period. At some point, the divested business is fully separated from the systems. These types of IT projects are quite complex business projects that are interesting and offer IT project managers a great learning experience. ...

... "It was much more than an IT project. In practice it meant 1,800 users, 7 languages, 3 factories and interfaces with 100s of suppliers, customers and logistics providers! " ...

Via Personnel Today: Birds Eye Independence

Reframe IT Projects for Business Success

Refresh your IT project portfolio with business improvement projects in the new year. Ensure the balance of the portfolio will generate positive returns by favoring business projects with tangible paybacks. Start by seeding your project pipeline with new project proposals and pilots or prototypes. ...

... "It's a business improvement project only if it includes redefinition of how the business is supposed to run, if users are trained in how to perform their new responsibilities using the new software, and if the project isn't finished until the business is successfully operating differently and better. " ...

Via TMCNet: Resolutions for 2009

There are no IT projects

A business alignment success story, where there are only business projects enabled by technology. The CIO is ranked in the Computerworld Top 100. ...

... "Furthering the IT-as-strategic-partner culture at GMRC is the company's refusal to use the term IT project. " ...

Via TechWeb: Grinnell Mutual CIO Dennis Mehmen

Business or IT Project: Find the Balance

Interesting twist on the ingredients of a successful project and striking the proper balance of emphasis. ...

... "An information system needs much more than dollops of technology it needs proper proportions of people, organisation, process and data. " ...

Via ComputerWeekly: IT Paradigm

Process Maturity Made Easy

I was going to report on an interesting article by Michael Hammer in the April Harvard Business Review, but I see Dave Garrett at Gantthead has beaten me to the punch. I've included a link below to the Gantthead article.

Basically, the Hammer article is about the new Process and Enterprise Maturity Model (PEMM) that Hammer has been working on with the Phoenix Consortium. It's the result of a research project they undertook to develop a process implementation roadmap.

In the Gantthead article below, Garrett has some helpful links, as well as a summary of the five process enablers and the four enterprise capabilities in the PEMM framework.

Let's see, with PEMM along with the Business Analysts Body of Knowledge (recently announced by the International Institute of Business Analysis - IIBA) , there should be plenty of complimentary models to go along with the PMBOK and ITIL. This should keep consultants busy for a while.

Meanwhile, here's the Gantthead link...

Beyond CMMI... PEMM

Business Analyst Body of Knowledge: Help at Last

AllPM has a great theme going this month. It's all about the integration of business analysis and project management. As it points out, especially during the early phases of a project, the project manager often works very closely with business analysts.

Three years ago, an organization called the IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysts) was formed to do for business analysts what PMI has done for project managers. It has grown to 3,500 members in 62 countries. They now have a certification exam as well, plus their own "Body of Knowledge" (BABOK).

The article below from AllPM outlines the relationship to project management. Well worth reading...

Theme of the Month: From Project Management (PM) Certification to Business Analysis (BA) Certification By Greta Blash, PMP :: ALLPM Project Management :: Project Manager - Project Management - Information - Forum Manager- PM Tools - Ar

IT Project EQ Business Project 4 Heineken

Heineken Ireland implement CRM project successfully with business in the lead. Local IT manager grapples with common IT challenges, such as security, vendor consolidation, outsourcing, etc. ...

... "For Heineken Ireland it was the first real acceptance by the business that something like this wasn't an IT project. It was a business project with a strong piece of IT in it, says Manning, careful to make the distinction. " ...

Via SiliconRepublic: Tech Decisions Pay Off

Business Project: Extract Value

Healthcare IT project seeks to integrate and standardize operations, while the business is on-the-hook for realizing the value. ...

... "The infrastructure goes live in April with users being migrated shortly after. Then comes the job of extracting value, which Mayo-Smith says is not an IT project but a business project. " ...

Via Computerworld: IT Role in Integrated Healthcare Operations