System Reliability

Executive Engagement in Business Technology Projects

Healthcare CEO supports a mission-aligned IT investment with active engagement that ensures implementation and drives adoption. ...

... "Raymer has taken a much more active role than most CEOs might when it comes to an IT project. She developed a detailed chart with scores of lines of responsibilities for employees throughout the organization, including herself. " ...

Via Triad Area Business Journal: IT investment

The Accidental CEO

Twitter-ific unfinished autobiography ...

... "In 1999, I started Pyra Labs with a friend, Meg Hourihan, to develop project management programs. Then we started a side project called Blogger ... " ...

Via NY Times: EVAN WILLIAMS

Valuing IT Assets

Researchers exploring ways to make the information technology asset life-cycle conversation more meaningful for business leaders. ...

... "Executive management and CEOs don't have the language, models and tools to have a business-oriented value conversation around their IT infrastructure, says Peppard. We're also trying to think about how an organisation might put a value on legacy [past IT] investments. " ...

Via The Irish Times: IT project value

Innovation ROI

Philips CEO sees innovation as disciplined and process-oriented. He also expects a project ROI for innovation investments and a strong connection to profitability. Creativity is allowed within the boudaries. ...

... "Every innovation project should have a return on investment, an internal rate of return, a net present value. And, you need to hardwire it and keep yourself honest, because at the end of the day, it's about generating returns. " ...

Via Knowledge@Wharton: Philips Lighting CEO

Web 2.0 3.0 Discussed

Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt, compares and contrasts Web 2.0 and 3.0 ...

Stay Visible and Relevant

Raise expectations, market your capabilities, and educate the organization to stay visible and relevant to your enterprise. ...

... "The limited expectations CEOs have of IT leadership threaten to stunt IT's contributions, resulting in an IT organization that may be averse to taking risks or even rising to the level of visibility. " ...

Via Computerworld: Expectations of IT

IT Project EQ Change Project

For an IT project to have impact, it must affect change. For change to stick, leaders must provide support. Recent study looks at IT projects and the distance of senior leaders, such as CEOs. ...

... "We have to get good at how our organisation handles change - that's nothing to do with IT, but no IT project worth its salt doesn't affect change, said Green. " ...

Via ITPro: CEO IT Imperative

Customer Communication: JetBlue CEO on Service Orientation

JetBlue CEO uses virtual medium to connect with customers to affirm committment to service after abyssmal performance. ...

Just the Facts: Evidence-Based Management

I recently read an enlightening book by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton, titled, Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-Based Management.

The premise of the book is that many organizations follow the guru du jour, or manage according to the book of "someone said so." As the book points out, if we only looked at the evidence, we'd see that may of these so-called truths are anything but.

Here are some examples of the lessons the book has to offer, always supported by evidence:

1) Forced ranking of employees doesn’t work, especially where people’s performance depends on interdependence with others. Furthermore, a survey of over 200 HR professionals by the Novations Group found that forced ranking (employed by more than half of the companies) resulted in lower productivity, injustice, skepticism, less employee engagement, reduced collaboration, lower morale, and mistrust in leadership.

The authors add that, if an organization trains people right and places them in an effective system, there’s no reason why 10 or 20 percent would automatically become incompetent every year.

2) Beware of your biases as a manager. Studies of NBA drafts showed that players picked earlier and paid more were less likely to be traded and had longer careers, regardless of their actual performance.

3) In the war for talent, don't forget that bad systems cause far more damage than bad people. Try redesigning systems and jobs before judging individuals. And don’t give people objectives unless the system and staffing can support it.

4) Watch out for dangerous incentives. One organization's salespeople shipped too far ahead of schedule just to win a prize. Some salespeople would hold customer returns in the trunk of their car so they still get their commission for that period. Others opened bad credit accounts because any order counted as a good order. In another company, incentives to complete truck routes early led to increased accidents and overloading of trucks to avoid multiple trips.

5) Strategy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Operational execution often has a greater impact on performance. The CEO of Wells Fargo once said, “I could leave our strategic plan on a plane and it wouldn’t make any difference. No one could execute it.” In U.S. football, virtually every play is designed to go for a touchdown. Unfortunately, reality gets in the way, as do mistakes in execution.

The authors point out that time spent pursuing strategic options could be better spent solving operational problems or focusing on customer needs. Organizations such as eBay and Intel use a “learn as you go” approach, putting something in the market and tweaking accordingly. Doing the right things is important, but not at the expense of doing them effectively.

6) Many changes, including mergers and acquisitions, ERP implementations, Six Sigma programs, Business Process Reengineering, cost cutting initiatives, and others, carry risks that outweigh the benefits and can be easily misapplied. People tend to underestimate the costs and overestimate the gains.

However, if it is determined that the change is still needed, the authors suggest we:

a) Ensure dissatisfaction with the status quo (i.e. the burning platform)
b) Communicate the same message repeatedly about the need for the change
c) Express extreme confidence in the change, but listen to concerns and adjust accordingly
d) Expect setbacks, errors, and miscommunication; Learn from it and revise processes. Never point fingers.

7) Based on proven evidence, in order to gain respect and trust, leaders should:

a) Act "as-if" - Be sure to act and talk like a leader
b) Have some sense of modesty. Understand the difference between knowledge (knowing things) and wisdom (knowing what you know and knowing what you don’t know).
c) Know when to get out of the way.
d) Above all, be an architect of systems, teams, and cultures.

These are but a few of the valuable nuggets in the book. The book offers additional tips as well, plus loads of supporting stories, examples, and research. Perhaps most valuable is the chart on the various types of changes and risks associated with them. I highly recommend this book to all leaders.

Leadership Style Match-Up: GE Alums

Bloomberg article contrasts CEO leadership styles - pitting the macho military style of Nardelli versus the more personable, relationship-building style of Immelt. ...

... Jack Welch on Immelt: "he said Immelt has stuff, he has real stuff. " ...

Bloomberg.com: Read

Managing from the Bottom Up

Yesterday I entered a post about Best Buy's new Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), and how allowing employees total freedom as to where and how they work, focusing instead on results, has shown a 35% productivity improvement. Granted, this may not apply in every environment, but the premise of focusing on results over rules is sound.

What I failed to mention is that this initiative didn't come from the top. In fact, CEO Brad Anderson didn't even know about it untill it was well under way and showing tangible benefits. And that's just the way he likes it.

Kudos to Anderson for allowing the flexibility in his organization for innovation from within, and the courage to try new things. That is what a learning organization is all about.

Anyone who ever brought about major transformation (think Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Jesus), usually did it in a bottom-up approach, not by first convincing "management."

One other thing I failed to mention. While it's uncertain to what extent it played in encouraging this particular situation, a primary consultant to the Best Buy organization is Marcus Buckingham, the talent management guru and author of three of the most enlightening management books I've read (First Break All the Rules, Now Discover Your Strengths, and The One Thing You Need to Know). I'd venture to say that his influence has at least indirectly encouraged this people-focused mentality.

CIO CFO CEO Reporting Relationship Affects IT Performance ...

Good article shows the stats for CIO's that report to CFO's. I wonder, though, how much of this is related to the CFO's own (in)ability to align with business strategy and position the company for success --- ultimately relegating the IT organization to a utilitarian role. Good leadership whether in finance or IT needs to enable business success, not impede it. ...

... "Running projects--More CIOs who report to the CFO spend time running projects (49%) than those who report to CEOs (39%) " ...

Via CIO Blog: CIOs reporting to CFOs: The Numbers Do the Talking ...

Innovation Moto Style ...

Motorola CEO, Ed Zander, discusses his approach to innovation, while leveraging Moto's strengths. ...

... "try to get in a sense of urgency, speed, winning customers first, innovation. We don't care about our titles, we don't care about our offices, we don't care about entitlements, we just care about winning. We laugh, we kid, we have fun, and the people below us have fun and there are no secrets here. " ...

Via The Observer: Motorola's cutting edge ...

Project Success Story: Veterans Heath Administration

When Ken Kizer took on the challenge of revamping the horrific state of affars that was the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (many of you have probably seen the movies that showed the sorry state of Veterans Hospitals), nobody suspected that they would go from "last to first."

Forget "Good to Great," these hospitals literally went from "worst to best!"

Reading the writeup on it in this week's issue of Business Week, I was struck by the similarities between Kizer's approach and Napoleon (whom most of you know I'm quite familiar with).

Whereas Napooleon was focused on equality, Kizer was driven by quality and safety. Like Napoleon, Kizer inherited a disastrous state of chaos and provided order, visibility, improvements in technology, training, accountability, decentralized decision-making, and most of all, hope and pride. Also like Napoleon, Kizer had his share of enemies, some who felt he was too arrogant and others who perhaps felt threatened by the changes. Finally, like Napoleon, Kizer was eventually ousted, except by Congress instead of foreign powers.

Fortunately, unlike Napoleon, Kizer's successors continued his methods and his passion. Because of these changes, every nurse and doctor in the network has instant access to electronic patient records, and drugs are filled robotically, avoiding the mistakes common to most other hospitals. And because these hospitals treat the patients for life, they spend more time and money on preventative care, as they realize it costs everyone less in the long run (talk about Total Cost of Ownership!).

I highly recommend picking up this week's Business Week (the July 17th issue with "The Plot to Hijack Your Computer" on the cover). Meanwhile, below is another article that talks about the amazing transformation that Kizer led the VHA through.

Expect to hear more on this as I research this in more depth. I also ordered the book, Straight from the CEO: The World's Top Business Leaders Reveal Ideas That Every Manager Can Use, which is mentioned in the article and apparently covers Kizer's story.

Here's the article (not the Business Week one, but a good one nonetheless) ...

"The Best Care Anywhere" by Phillip Longman

Globalization of Research and Development: IBM Build Russia Presence ...

IBM boosts research and development talent in Russia to support geographic growth. This is a trend that is accelerating, especially where high-growth rates are expected. ...

... "IBM will invest $40 million over the next three years in the Russian Systems & Technology Laboratory, which will employ up to 200 people by the end of 2008. The lab will focus on mainframe technology development and continues IBM's emphasis on utilizing skills and expertise around the globe, especially in high-growth countries such as Russia, Brazil, China and India. The lab is the fourth major development operation announced by IBM in recent months. Other new facilities include a Linux Technology Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil; a Solutions & Technology Center in Bangalore, India; and a mainframe development lab in Shanghai, China. " ...

Globalization of Research and Development: IBM Build Russia Presence: Via IBM: IBM Chairman & CEO Opens IBM's First Development Laboratory in Russia ...

The Project Manager and the Business Analyst

There's a superb article on AllPM about the importance of understanding the separate, but related, roles of the project manager and the business analyst.

While it's true that project management has evolved to the point where a project manager must be more like a mini-CEO, with an understanding of marketing, finance, business process, etc. and the ability to speak the language of senior management, we should not confuse that with the need for a separate business analyst that has a deep understanding of the subject matter and requirements.

In my experience, it's foolish and counter-productive to expect the project manager to serve both roles on a large project, even if they are capable.

Here's a link to the article----well worth reading...

Why Does a Project Need a Project Manager and a Business Analyst by Barbara Carkenord :: ALLPM Project Management

Learn How to Manage Change

The HP Change Artists Web series, produced by HP and broadcast by CIO Magazine and CNN, is a great way to learn from the best how to manage change.

The series premieres tomorrow, May 9th, at 11:00am EDT, with Fedex CEO Fred Smith and CIO Rob Carter sharing their best practices in change leadership.

If you're managing a project that introduces fundamental organizational change, you can't afford to miss this series. Here's the URL to register...

Change Artists: A CEO / CIO Conversation with FedEx. Live on May 9

Personal Value Proposition: Assess Your Business Impact ...

Nice article, by Pete McGarahan, challenges the reader to assess how they contribute value to an organization and be accountable for their future by taking risks, learning, and owning their personal development. Quick and worthwhile read ...

... " ... a business mentor once asking me, What's your value proposition to the organization? I was taken aback by the question and began rattling off what I did for a living. He quickly stopped me and said, No, Pete, what value do you provide to the organization on a daily basis? " ...

Personal Value Proposition: Assess Your Business Impact: Via CCN: Being the CEO of You (PDF) ...

Project Portfolio Risk Management ...

Intellilink shares method for calculating the overall risk on a project portfolio. It is critical to assess the risk of the project portfolio to understand trends and also to determine if additional risk is appropriate, as higher value opportunities are usually associated with greater risk. ...

... "Intellilink, a boutique consulting firm specializing in automating knowledge worker organizations, hosted a workshop outlining its innovative project portfolio risk calculation methodology at the 4th annual IT Financial Management Week 2006 conference at the Wyndham Miami Beach Resort, Miami Beach, Florida which ran from April 3 to April 6. The workshop, which was oversubscribed by nearly 40% of pre-conference registration, presented a simple and practical methodology for calculating the risk of an IT project portfolio. Titled IT Portfolio Risk Management: A Methodology for Calculating the Risk of Your IT Portfolio, the Intellilink workshop was jointly lead by Intellilink's CEO, Patrick Boylan, and Managing Director, Fumiko Kondo. The risk calculation methodology was developed in response to organizations expressing the need to improve their understanding of risk across the IT portfolio. " ...

Project Portfolio Risk Management: Via Intellilink: Intellilink Hosts Project Portfolio Risk Calculation Workshop at IT Financial Management Week 2006: The firm's innovative project portfolio risk calculation methodology was well received by a full house of senior IT financial executives ...

Project Management Ain't What it Used to Be

There's an excellent article in Computerworld about how project management has evolved in the last few years to be much more than the traditional planning, scheduling and monitoring role it used to be (in some circles anyway).

Today's project manager, according to the article, must demonstrate strong business acumen, political savvy, cultural awareness, and soft skills.

A project manager today must be confident discussing a business case and benefits with senior management, negotiating the shark-infested waters of organizational politics, leading offshore resources, negotiating with vendors, resolving conflicts, and much more.

In other words, a project manager must be more of a mini-CEO than a scheduler or team leader. The implications are that a whole different skill set is required.

Here's the full article. It's well worth reading..

The New Project Manager - Computerworld

Organizational Project Management; Why Should CEOs Care?

Paul Dinsmore and Pedro C. Ribeiro's article in Chief Project Officer talks about why CEOs should care about project management. He lists several areas where project management can directly impact the bottom line, including working capital, sales growth, and profit margins.

People are beginning to realize that project management is much more than managing individual initiatives; it's about transforming everything an organization does into a project-based approach.

In the article, Celina Antunes, CEO South America Region for Cushman & Wakefield Semco comments:

“For decades, project management has been a discipline in engineering, construction and other industries, where a key management skill has always been the ability to complete a job on time and on budget. Yet it's only been in recent years that the discipline has moved to its current status as one of the leading reasons for success in some of the world's best companies. When you need an outcome done right, on time, and within a budget, you definitely need project management to assure results”

Of course, to be truly effective, this requires a strong committment to becoming a "learning organization." Here's an excerpt from another quote, from Robert Cook, former CEO Latin America for Unisys Corporation:

“The importance of excellence in project management could not be over rated. I would guess that all of us as senior operations people have been involved in projects that have created shareholder value and those - that have reduced
shareholder value... We need to be in a continuous learning process. A well structured lessons learning process in project management is key to seamless execution and ensuring that the direction of the project is correct from the beginning of the effort”.

For the full article, read on...

Chief Project Officer: Why Should Project Management Matter to CEOs?

eProject Launches eLounge

There's another project management community on the internet, and this one's from eProject, the leading web-based "on demand" project management tool.

eLounge is eProject's online community, open to anyone with an interest in project management.

This is from their press release:

"We've created the premier destination site for portfolio, program and project managers who want to interact with industry peers, share knowledge, learn best practices, find out what's new, or just get up to speed quickly on the topics and issues most important to them," said Christian Smith, eProject vice president of sales and marketing. "eLounge is unmatched in the industry in terms of original content, downloads and the stature, knowledge and experience of our guest bloggers," continued Smith.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to be part of their expert panel of contributors, so I occasionally post there (so far, my posts have been a variation of my PMThink posts or similar material---my way of spreading good ideas more broadly). Are they competition? Someone once told me that on the internet, there is no competition, only cooperation. We're all in this together.

Dave Blumhorst, ex PMO Director for PeopleSoft and now CEO of Effective IT Group, is a regular contributor, and I must say I completely agree with his philosophies on PMOs. See his blog "Do PMs Really Hate PMOs" and "Common PMO Mistakes" in their Project Management Trendwatch section.

Here's the link to the eLounge home page...

eProject eLounge - Project Management User Community

IT Governance Framework Announced

IT Governance Limited has announced a new IT governance framework (titled the Calder-Moir IT Governance Framework) that brings together multiple disciplines, including information technology, risk management, project management, strategy, intellectual property, business design and compliance.

"Until today, no single tool has provided a full picture of IT governance”, says Alan Calder, CEO of IT Governance Limited. “Collectively, existing tools have often given a confusing impression that actually hinders the purpose of IT governance, which is to equip boards with information and levers for directing, evaluating and monitoring how well IT supports their core businesses. The newIT Governance Framework directly addresses this concern.”

To view the framework, visit http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/page.framework. It's based upon Alan Calder’s book, IT GovernanceToday – A Practitioner’s Handbook, which is available at Link.

In addition to the framework and the book, the IT Governance Toolkit, which, according to Calder, will provide "a comprehensive suite of policies, procedures and task sheets" will be launched in Q2 2006.

Collaboration and Openness in the Participation Age ...

Sun CEO Scott McNealy challenges industry leaders to rethink traditional business models built on the global network economy, where transparency, community, and collaboration drive innovation into The Participation Age. ...

... "Sun believes the world is entering a new era - the Participation Age - where dramatically lowered barriers to entry, plummeting device prices, and near-universal connectivity are driving a new round of network participation. From blogs to Java, SMS messages to Web services, participants are forming communities to drive change, create new businesses, new social services and new discoveries. This growth in the network economy is fueled by sharing and collaboration among communities interconnected by technology and driven by purpose. Sun also believes that sharing and collaboration in the Participation Age will stimulate innovation to help all participants from across the world grow and prosper. " ...

Collaboration and Openness in the Participation Age: Via Sun Microsystems: Thought Leaders Prove Sharing Builds Economies at Sun Microsystems' Participation Age Event: Sun CEO Scott McNealy Pushes Industry to Rethink Business for 21st Century, Focus on Collaboration and Community ...



Addtional references on the intersection of transparency, collaboration, community, and innovation:

Via SAP: SAP Leads Industry Collaboration in Support of Enterprise Services: "For the first time, a community process in which collaborative business process innovation can flourish in an open and transparent forum will become the standard by which all enterprise services development is measured. The Enterprise Services Community Process is the only industry-driven method for defining enterprise services and is poised to become the preferred method for the SAP customer and partner ecosystem to achieve business process innovation through the use of enterprise services. "

Via The Future of Work Weblog: Distributed Work and Network Building Tools: "As work becomes ever-more-highly distributed, an individual's responsibility for maintaining his or her network of connections, both inside and outside his or her company, is increasing. Team members might be located in different geographic locations and timezones. They may only have come together for a short-term project or they might not even be members of the same company. ... "

Via Business Week: This Way To The Future: "Ultimately, innovation is about continually pushing back the boundaries of what is possible. The true genius of capitalism is that it provides economic incentives for sustained innovation. "

Innovation in Project Management; A Lesson from Ford

Tom Peters blogged recently about Ford, Pixar and the new wave of innovation sweeping companies. Although he had a softer spot for what Pixar is doing, the main point was that innovation is the new world order. Operational excellence is out, as is short-term thinking and reactionary cost-cutting. Even GE is now all about innovation.

Just look at these enlightening statements in a recent announcement from Ford CEO, Bill Ford, announcing their renewed focus on innnovation...

Ford Motor Company stands for a far-sighted commitment to growth. We stand for a renewed focus on the customer. We stand for boundless innovation in every aspect of our business...

Here is what we will not stand for: incremental change, avoiding risk, thinking short-term, blocking innovation, tying our people's hands, defending procedures that don't make sense, and selling what we have instead of what the customer wants. In short, we will not stand for business as usual.

Going forward, our employee evaluations will include a section on innovation. We’re also going to design compensation plans that reward new thinking. And we’re going to create a way for employees to appeal a decision, even if they have an idea and the boss says no.

These are inspiring words. Don't be surprised to see this approach make its way into the project management field. Instead of taking a project charter and "executing well," enlightened project managers will encourage opportunity assessments, get their teams and management excited about new ideas and concepts (assuming they're not squashed), and attempt to try new methods.

We've been posting recently about Agile Scrum Project Management. That's just one example of something that's new and different, but will most likely not gain ground in traditional, conservative organizations.

Here's more from Bill Ford's presentation...

Innovation Acceleration: Innovation-Driven Vision: Ford Motor Company

Project Management: Globalization and the Distributed Enterprise ...

The trend of globalization is driving complex construction projects and software implementations where new project management skills are required to be successful: respect for diversity of cultures, sourcing of local talents for delivery, designing solutions in a virtual environment, and application of distributed expertise to solve local problems. ...

... "Said Charles Foundyller, president and CEO of Daratech, Inc., Globalization requires new project management skills and processes that can meet the requirements of today's distributed enterprises. Bentley has shown an impressive understanding of the management challenges of globalization and the tools needed to meet these challenges. " ...

Project Management: Globalization and the Distributed Enterprise: Via Bentley: Distributed Enterprise at daratechPLANT

Business-Technology-Alignment: Governance Committment ...

IT Governance Institute survey shows that formalized governance of IT is lacking in 50% of organizations. Paul Williams explores the drivers and leadership committment necessary to fully align IT with the business strategy through governance. ...

... "Aligning IT with overall business strategy calls for a continuous effort requiring full support from all levels of the organization, beginning with the CEO and board of directors. " ...

Business-Technology-Alignment: Governance Committment: Via ZDNet India: Align IT and business for success

Project Portfolio Management: Drive Innovation through Information Technology ...

WebSeminar explores how IT can maximize its innovation potential and become an innovation engine for the entire enterprise. Learn how to promote innovation through project portfolio management. Optimize run-the-business work and shift investment to strategic initiatives that transform-the-business. ...

... "PlanView, the leading provider of comprehensive IT portfolio management solutions, is sponsoring a live Web Seminar Wednesday January 11, 2006 at 12:30 P.M. Eastern entitled Transforming IT Into An Innovation Engine. Featuring Forrester Research's Laurie Orlov and PlanView's CEO and founder Patrick Durbin, the Webcast will discuss how IT executives can promote innovation by optimizing operational spend and shifting money and resources to more strategic initiatives. This informative Webcast leverages key findings from Forrester's IT's Role In Innovation series that explores how IT can recover its innovation potential and become an innovation engine for the entire enterprise. It will also discuss how portfolio management can provide a disciplined approach to successfully establish, manage, and execute innovative strategies in any organization.

Webinar entitled Transforming IT Into An Innovation Engine -- How To Leverage Portfolio Management To Drive Strategic Initiatives.

Wednesday, January 11th, 2006 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern

IT executives will learn how to establish, manage, and execute innovative strategies in their organizations by applying the discipline of portfolio management. PlanView Enterprise is a combination of enterprise software and proven best practices that enables organizations to make the most out of their limited capacities. " ...

Project Portfolio Management: Drive Innovation through Information Technology: Via PlanView: PlanView Presents Live Webinar Entitled: Transforming IT Into An Innovation Engine -- How To Leverage Portfolio Management To Drive Strategic Initiatives ...

Tags: Project Portfolio Management

Project Portfolio Management: Monitor Investment Value ...

Patrick Durbin, Planview CEO, explores the integration of IT strategic planning and project portfolio management to drive the value from information technology investments. Alignment of IT with business strategy creates visibility to value opportunities. Portfolio-based investment analysis enables objective selection of the best mix of investments. And, active management of benefits increases the likelihood of realizing the targeted value. ...

... "Discretionary, strategic investments to grow the business or transform the business can take years, involve thousands of person hours and cost millions of dollars. Organizations must carefully choose which of these investments to pursue and then regularly monitor them on a periodic basis to ensure that the business value is still relevant. " ...

Project Portfolio Management: Monitor Investment Value: Via DMReview: Chart Your Course to Strategically Align Business and Technology

The New ISO 27001 Security Standard; Get Prepared! Listen to Alan Calder's Podcast

As I've mentioned before, the perfect storm is headed our way. As more companies move toward hosted solutions and the threat of a pandemic computer virus looms, organizations worldwide could be crippled.

Enter the new ISO 27001 Security Standard.

Alan Calder, the leading IT Governance and Security expert and CEO of IT Governance, Ltd., issued a podcast last week talking about ISO 27001 and its impacts. Best of all, Calder offers several eBooks for all levels of audiences, as well as an ISO 27001 toolkit, which allows organizations to become ISO 27001-compliant without expensive consultants.

Here's what Calder's company, IT Governance Ltd. has to say about the new standard:

• ISO 17799:2005 and BS 7799 are the international best practice information security management standards, defining and guiding Information Security Management System (ISMS) development.
• BS7799 is the basis for the new international standard ISO 27001, which was introduced in October 2005. Internationalisation will create a global upsurge in demand for ISMS certification.
• ISO 27001 will become the international touchstone for effective, secure information management practices that protect organisations and ensure their compliance with data protection, privacy and computer misuse regulations.
• As with ISO 9000, the new standard will become a prerequisite for many businesses wishing to secure new customers and contracts. It is therefore as much a business issue as an IT issue.
  
  To learn more, check out Alan Calder's podcast below...
  
  Alan Calder on IT Governance, information security and ISO 27001 (BS7799): Talking ISO 27001

Project Management Lessons: Sakhalin2 ...

We think IT projects are challenging to bring on-time and on-budget. Put yourself in the postion of Shell project managers delivering the Sakhalin 2 project. What lessons can we learn? See commentary by Mr Alfred Donovan. ...

Via Mondaq: Rattled Shell Management Swamped With Bad News, Issues Threat Following President Putin's Sakhalin2 Tirade ...

... "There is one issue however which dwarfs all others in terms of importance to Shell and its stakeholders: the Sakhalin2 project in Russia. Shell hit the headlines two weeks ago when President Putin in a face-to-face meeting with Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer, savaged Shell management in relation to the staggering cost overrun of the project. " ...

Project Management: Google Innovation Machine ...

Quentin Hardy explores insights from Google CEO Eric Schmidt to better understand the project management methods powering the Google innovation machine, such as small teams, data-based decision making, rapid project life cycles, and collaboration networks. ...

Project Management: Google Innovation Machine: Via Forbes.com: Google Thinks Small ...

... "Brin and Page have created a corporate organism that tackles most big projects in small, tightly focused teams, setting them up in an instant and breaking them down weeks later without remorse. " ...

IT Governance Excellence: Conference Workshop ...

Intellilink offers services in IT governance excellence. At recent project management conference, Intellilink leaders present workshop on solutions for accelerating the implementation of IT governance. ...

IT Governance Excellence: Conference Workshop: Via Intellilink Solutions: Intellilink Solutions Hosts IT Governance Workshop at ProjectWorld USA 2005: Company executives share their expertise to resolve the most critical issues encountered when implementing IT governance ...

... "The Intellilink workshop, Solving People and Process Issues When Implementing IT Governance, was run jointly by Intellilink's CEO, Patrick Boylan, and Managing Director, Fumiko Kondo, who are both leading experts in deploying solutions for IT governance for clients across a range of industries. In addition to offering real-world solutions to common IT governance issues, the interactive event outlined typical IT governance business models and detailed common roles, responsibilities and business processes. " ...

Government Projects: Higher Spending and Delays ...

Government project culture needs an infusion. ...

Government Projects: Higher Spending and Delays: Via Business Standard: Economy & Policy: Govt spends 42% more on project delays ...

... "Even in the information technology sector, only a third of all projects are completed on time and within budgets, and give the originally anticipated value, says Gregory Balestrero, global CEO of Project Management Institute (PMI). " ...

Project Management News; Mercury Future Uncertain

Check out the latest article in IT Toolbox on how things are going with Merury Interactive, since their CEO resigned. As reported in the article, Mercury will try to avoid a NASDAQ delisting when it meets with the organization on November 15th. But still, it's stock has plummeted, and the company is now ripe for acquisition.

PM News: Mercury Falling?

Innovation is Everyone's Business ...

Business innovation does not come naturally in large organizations and is a key ingredient companies are searching for to create and sustain growth in their markets. Fred Smith, CEO Fedex, offers insights on business innovation and the responsibility of the workforce. This responsibility must be nurtured until it become a norm or core value of the enterprise. ...

Innovation is Everyone's Business: Via Business Innovation 2005: Interview with Frederick W. Smith: Innovation and business excellence at FedEx ...

... "Frederick W. Smith: Everyone in the company is responsible for innovation, though executive management must encourage innovation, reward it and measure it to determine success. We strive to have a culture where each member of the team feels free to advance good ideas for improvement. " ...

An EPM and IT Governance Giant is in Trouble; Mercury Interactive CEO and CFO Resign

Amid a corporate scandal, Mercury's CEO, Amnon Landan, and its CFO, Douglas Smith, resigned after a special committee found that they benefited from an options pricing practice installed at Mercury.

Their stock fell considerably, and some are speculating that it could make Mercury an acquisition target. Mercury is the corporation behind Mercury ITG, an EPM and IT Governance suite purchased from Kintana.

Here's the story from TheStreetcom...

Mercury Interactive CEO, CFO Resign

ITIL Leader: David Ratcliffe Pink Elephant

ITIL is the recipe for IT services management success. Philip Quinn catches up with David Ratcliffe, CEO of Pink Elephant. Pink Elephant is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with operations worldwide. Pink Elephant works with organizations, including many of the Fortune 500, to improve the quality of IT services through the application of established best practices, such as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). ...

Via National Post: Flies around the world four times a year ...

... "We were the ones who launched this best-practice framework we support called the IT infrastructure library. If you think [in terms] of a restaurant ... it's the recipes you follow and the routines around how you keep the place clean... " ...

Additional PMThink References on ITIL:

• For Well-Rounded IT Project Management - Learn ITIL and PRINCE2


• IT Service Transformation Through ITIL Service Catalogs ...


• ITIL Certification BTO Software ...


• ITIL Helpdesk Transformation: Services Model


• ITIL IT Management Processes ...


• ITIL IT Service Management Differentiators


• ITIL Market Assessment: Podcast


• ITIL Microsoft Operations Framework Assessment ...


• ITIL Process Approach: Federated CMDB ...


• ITIL Process: Run IT Like Business ...


• ITIL Project: Cultural Implications ...


• ITIL Projects: Avoid Pitfalls ...


• ITIL Technology Standard Framework ...


• ITIL: IT Service Catalog: Alignment Focal Point ...


• Microsoft ITIL Sans CMDB ...


• Process Models: ITIL ITGovernance ...


• Ready or Not; Here comes ITIL


• Siebel CRM ITIL Ready: Helpdesk Capabilities ...

IT Risk Management: Disaster Recovery Planning: Forward Placement

IT Risk Management: Disaster Recovery Planning: Forward Placement: Via Data Foundry: Garden Ridge Selects Data Foundry For Disaster Recovery Services ...

Excellent point on risk management in IT when planning for disaster recovery, consider forward placement to avoid collateral impacts on the secondary site ...

... "Bob Janusaitis (CBCP, CISA, CISM), a 25-year veteran in IT disaster recovery planning and CEO of Business911 International, Inc. specializing in IT Governance and Risk Management, stated, It's been my experience that too many companies overlook all the risks associated with implementing a disaster recovery plan that calls for the secondary site to be located in the same city as their primary site. The risks of implementing this strategy range from shared city power grids, inability to traverse local streets, over subscription to the local facility, and the affect on human capital that supports the secondary site in a true disaster scenario. I encourage a forward placement philosophy which calls for getting people and data out of harms way if at all possible. This means putting distance between the disaster event and your secondary site. " ...

Data Foundry is a pioneer in the business ISP industry and Data Center Services market. Founded in 1994 – profitable then and still profitable today – Data Foundry supports over 1,000 corporate customers with unparalleled Managed Internet, Enterprise Data Center, Colocation and Disaster Recovery services. As a Texas-based Global Managed Services provider, the company maintains a secure, scalable, redundant and highly available network infrastructure, with geographically dispersed Internet Data Centers and state-of-the-art operations.

Business911 International provides comprehensive enterprise-wide expert guidance on IT Governance and Information Technology Risk Management. Business911 International certified consultants have decades of experience assisting some of the world’s largest organizations.

Project Management: Organization Model Barriers

Project Management: Organization Model Barriers: Via Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Today: Future States Section 2 (Job Description Syndrome)

Demian Entrekin, CEO of Project Arena, writes about the challenges of hierarchical organizational models (departments) and discusses the barriers associated with projects and project management. Combine these organizational barriers with the murkiness of resource availability and no wonder why project success rates are weak ...

... "Projects typically engineer change. They are transformative by their very nature. Whether the goal is a new product (or service), an enhancement to an existing product or a new customer, projects drive change. The goals of projects can be difficult to define in a way that clearly aligns with the goals of the departments. " ...

Business IT Strategy: Successful Alignment

Business IT Strategy: Successful Alignment: Via CIO insync: The two common traits of successful IT/business alignment

... "First, the CEO takes a genuine interest in and makes an effort to understand IT. Second, the two leaders spend time discussing high-level business-IT strategy. This approach facilitates better understanding of underlying issues and problems and ensures the top executives are on the same page. " ...

Process Governance Tool Upcoming ...

Process Governance Tool Upcoming: Via Business Engine: Business Engine Forms New Company, Appoints New CEO: New Company Purchases Assets of Old Company, Announces New Customer Wins and New Product ...

... "Business Engine - has also announced that it will be releasing a new product in October codenamed Cascade. Cascade simplifies process governance, compliance and management decision-making and will be formally unveiled at Business Engine's upcoming Global User Summit in Orlando, FL September 25-27, 2005 " ...

Established in 1985, Business Engine is a leading provider of enterprise software for 'running the business of IT'. The Business Engine Network allows global IT organizations to manage IT strategy, financial governance and operational execution within a single Web-based solution, creating enterprise transparency that dramatically improves IT investment decisions, business alignment and delivery results. Business Engine serves over 80,000 end-users at global organizations including 20 Fortune 100 customers such as Boeing, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Northrup Grumman, Pfizer, and Siemens.

Program Management Software: Operational Excellence Portfolio...

Program Management Software: Operational Excellence Portfolio: Via PowerSteering Software, Inc.: POWERSTEERING SOFTWARE EXPANDS OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE MARKET SHARE, ADDS SEVERAL LEADING SIX SIGMA CUSTOMERS: Strong Demand Spurs Funding to Support Continued Expansion ...

Program management of a portfolio of Six Sigma projects requires visibility to enable smart decision making on the road to operational excellence. Software that enables program management, such as PowerSteering, becomes a key enabler when managing a globally-distributed, diversified portfolio of operational efficiency projects. Executive leadership is interested in the value potential, time-to-value, and probability of success of the portfolio. Providing these answers allows more robust program management. ...

... "As Operational Excellence strategies like Six Sigma continue to exhibit a strong resurgence in the market, we have seen an increased need for PowerSteering to provide executives with global visibility and real-time decision making, said Stephen Sharp, President and CEO of PowerSteering. With words and actions, analysts, customers, investors and partners are all telling us the same thing, PowerSteering is the leading company for Six Sigma and other Operational Excellence programs. " ...

PowerSteering Software, the leader in Enterprise Performance Improvement, provides OnDemand program management solutions for Lean, Six Sigma, and other Operational Excellence initiatives and large-scale programs. PowerSteering’s solutions provide executives with real-time visibility, strategy alignment, and enhanced program and team effectiveness, empowering more than 65 customers, including GE, Raytheon, Textron and Tyco, to drive strategy and accelerate results across the enterprise. PowerSteering’s solutions manage more than $25 billion in target savings, support more than 75,000 active users, and track more than 150,000 projects.

Tag: Portfolio Management

Project Selection: Financial Return ...

Project Selection: Financial Return: Via Best Practices, LLC: Best Practice Summary: Benchmarking Project Management: Performance Measurement, Processes and Tools

Financial returns are prevalent criteria for project portfolio prioritization and selection, according to study ...

... "Based on a survey of 20 organizations, this 22-slide presentation identifies how to understand project management operations at companies with renowned project management operations. ... Companies can use this information to understand the best methods for project management and high performance rate. Specifically, the study found that financial impact, including revenue generation and cost savings, are primary factors companies consider when prioritizing projects. " ...

Best Practices, LLC was founded in 1992 by a group of service professionals with roots at the Harvard Business School. Our founder and CEO, Christopher Bogan, is the author of the influential book Benchmarking for Best Practices: Winning through Innovative Adaptation, published by McGraw-Hill.