Managing Project Portfolio

Reference for tips on getting started in project portfolio management from AMR Research and other practitioners. It will take some energy to define and apply portfolio categories, value definitions, and status codes to properly instrument your organizations portfolio view. ...

... "Project portfolio management involves a number of activities, the most basic of which is to get everything into one place. That helicopter view onto a number of projects is a major step forward for a program manager, IT exec or CIO ... " ...

Via ZDNet: IT Project Failures

Coke CIO Perspective

Coca-Cola CIO on business value of IT ...

Alignment and Transparency Key to Info Tech Success

Marketing success stories, open dialogue about IT opportunities, and investment portfolio management techniques are some of the ways to raise the profile of the information technology organization to business leaders in the organization. ...

... "As a result of all these factors, senior executives at most companies have little desire to deal with IT and its role in their business and relegate this function to the CIO. In addition, many CEOs find the financial and business returns on their IT investments obscure and difficult to quantify ... " ...

Via Wall Street Journal: Hidden Potential of IT

CIO Perspective on Business Strategy

Financial industry CIO makes pitch for getting intimate with their customers and making the right investments by IT. He offers an interesting observation, that many CIOs are in a position to look across lines of business for areas of synergy or leverage in order to better enable their businesses strategies. ...

... "I'm able to bring a unique perspective by working with many businesses across the company. Our perspective can be invaluable in helping our business leaders develop their long-term strategies. " ...

Via Info Week: Priority for Customer Intimacy

CIO Role Shifts Reporting Relationships

To keep IT relevant and better connected to the overall business strategy, shouldn't the CIO report to the CEO? The data supports a different trend. As CIOs have aligned more investments with the business, has their influence dimished? Or, is reporting relationship irrelevant in the grand scheme of things? No doubt about it ... the sand keeps shifting ...

... "The increasing prominence of the CFO in IT management signals a change in the way companies view technology strategy and deployment. " ...

Via CIO Insight: Meet Your New Boss

HP IT Transformation

CIO offers insights into HP information technology transformation, where data center consolidation, application architecture rationalization, and project portfolio management are the rule of the day. ...

... "A deep dive into a company's technology infrastructure will help open a technology manager's eyes. Some of the 1,240 IT projects Mott cataloged at HP during a 30-day review weren't slated to be finished for 20 years. " ...

Via Information Week: Incremental IT

Breakthrough CIO Behaviors

CIO tips for transitioning from the operational to the business strategic. Behaviors include shifting the business conversations and emphasizing new organizational competencies focusing on business processes. The results are business IT projects that deliver on the value proposition. ...

... "Rather than managing the daily operations, the Breakthrough CIO identifies and executes on these projects, and tracks their returns and corresponding risk levels, until IT becomes a predictable investment. " ...

Via CXO Today: The Breakthrough CIO Role

Focus on Customer to Align With Business

Struggling to integrate IT into the business agenda? Consider focusing on the paying customers to improve their experience. This could better position IT as an enabler of business strategy. ...

... "by tackling customer-centric IT projects, CIOs can reshape their role as key corporate players and position themselves for greater enterprise responsibility by aligning with the major concern of their executive peers and bosses. " ...

Via CIO: 2008 State of the CIO

When to Pull Project Plug

CIO needs insight on the projects in the IT portfolio and whether pulling the plug is necessary. Ways to accomplish that are stage-gate or toll-gate framework, scoping for time to value, and dashboards. ...

... "the company has established a gate process in which each project stage has a set of requirements that are established and assessed by gatekeepers who evaluate whether projects should proceed ... " ...

IT Projects

CIO Skill List Deemphasize Technology

Aspiring CIOs need to develop many skills and competencies beyond the realm of technology. ...

... "Kost sees the CIO role as encompassing jobs such as venture capitalist, economist and political visionary. Leadership, relationships and business are the pillars of the role ... " ...

Via ZDNet UK: CIO 2.0

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

Project Approvals: A Tasty Proposition

The CFO's perspective is valuable to properly positioning project proposals in the portfolio. ...

... "The most important thing a CIO could do is take their CFO out to lunch and find out what the CFO looks for when considering a project, he said. " ...

Via bMighty: Have You taken Your CFO Out to Lunch Yet?

Strategic Alignment Through Tech Education

What level of tech-savvy is required of business leaders? A partnership is a two-way street. This article explores the appropriate level and approach for making progress in educating the business about technology. ...

... "Rare is the CEO who knows the difference between enterprise architecture and landscape architecture. ... CIOs need to educate their business counterparts about technology, but that is easier said than done. " ...

Via CIO Asia: Business Leaders and IT

CIO Career: Vendor Network

Tips for those aspiring to the CIO role, such as use of branding and marketing. Leveraging your external networks, such as vendors, is good advice. ...

... "Your best salespeople are generally well-connected, he says. They typically have better networks than you do and for them, there is nothing better they can do than find an old customer a new home. " ...

Via InterGovWorld: CIO job

IT Strategy: Second Life to Extend Reach

Diageo explores the use of Second Life as channel to reach its target market. ...

... "Robin Dargue, chief information officer and business process director at Diageo, explained that the company was attempting to stay relevant to the next generation of consumers, which he branded the digital natives. " ...

Via Computerworld UK: Diageo uses Second Life

IT Strategy Is On Board-Room Back-Burner

Deloitte survey provides insights into boardroom perspectives on IT strategy. While boards don't have more time to focus on IT strategy, the limited time available should be used effectively. ...

... "But they don't plan to work toward improving the strategy: 52 percent said their board won't spend any more time on IT over the next three years than it does now. " ...

Via CIO: Board Perspectives on IT

New CIO Role: Enhance Customer Experience

San Francisco Giants' CIO creates new role for himself. ...

... "Schlough's role, he says, is not to maintain operations but rather to help make the customer experience memorable. " ...

Via CIO: Customer Leadership From IT

IT Org Model Seeks to Integrate Distributed Teams

Government reorganizes IT leadership in order to increase performance on key projects and initiatives. ...

... "The idea is for the governor's respected Chief Information Officer Michael Locatis to forge better collaboration and expertise-sharing among information technology teams now scattered across 20 agencies ... " ...

Via GovExec: Reorganizing for IT Project Success

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

Board Level View of IT

What is the right level of board involvement, awareness of IT, and influence on IT strategy? Boards are definitely concerned with business strategy. What is the right equilibrium for board-level IT discussion - %of time and frequency? Are the amounts in the referenced survey out-of-whack? I'm not sure ... I would want the board to focus on business strategy. And, if IT were aligned with it, would a lower frequency and amount of discussion be ok? Maybe, if the quality of the minimal discussion was high. What are the thoughts in the blogosphere? ...

... "Yes, directors say the right things about the importance of IT, and make the by now obvious connection between effectively executing IT strategy and better financial performance. But their lack of attention to IT ought to concern CIOs and shareholders. " ...

Via CIO Insight: Survey of Board Views on IT

CIO Runs IT Like Business

Accenture CIO shares insights on IT alignment, business approach, and service orientation. ...

... "To help the business understand IT, we package IT as a set of products and services that we offer to the business. Each of those products has definition of what is in the product and the cost of different service levels. " ...

Via CIOL: CIO Best Practice

CIO Articulates Business Value of IT

The business value of IT can be described in financial terms, but should be balanced with other perspectives. Framing and re-framing IT in the context of the business is a good start. ...

... "One way this can be done, says Salvadori, is by explaining the business value of IT's deliverables in terms of a tangible return on investment (ROI). " ...

Via ITWorld Canada: Business Value of IT

CIO Disconnect: Internal Focus Puts Growth at Risk

Recent Gartner CIO survey shows CIOs are distracted by internal focus and risking IT credibility by not investing in growth enablers. ...

... "However, CIO near-term priorities remain internally focused on IT services, according to a worldwide survey of more than 1,400 CIOs by Gartner Executive Programs (EXP). Gartner analysts warn that this disconnect will place CIOs and IT at risk. " ...

Gartner CIO Survey

CIO Pulse Point: IT Governance in Top 10

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants rank IT governance in the top 10 most important technology initiatives for 2007. ...

... "IT Governance: A structure of relationships and processes that direct and control an organization and help it achieve its goals by adding value while balancing risk versus return over IT and its processes. Includes IT ROI, or the decisions around technology investments and how to optimize related returns. " ...

Via American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA): AICPA 2007 Top Technology Initiatives ... (PDF)

ITGovernance ITIL EnterpriseArchitecture Drive Benefits

Service management successes discussed at recent conference.

... "CIO of the state of Illinois saved over $130 million annually by implementing a strong enterprise architecture and IT governance program in conjunction with ITIL. " ...

Via Public CIO: Government IT Services

Technology Investment: Time Is Ripe

Implementation of IT strategy requires fresh approach: New standards of performance and greater accountability for achievement. C Davis Fogg discusses actions needed to emphasize a bias for action and points out the potential of IT to innovate. ...

... "IT is such an underutilised power in the marketplace, I would expect right now is a very good time to be thinking about powerful investments to improve market position and efficiency. Particularly if you have cash and your competitors don't. " ...

Via CIO Australia: Implementation of IT Strategy

IT Supplier: Pressure Expected

CIO survey indicates increased pressure on IT suppliers to lower costs. ...

... "... negotiating tougher terms with suppliers of commodity systems and services is a top priority in order to free up investment for strategic software development and business change programmes. " ...

Via silicon.com: CIO Survey Results

Governance Compliance ITIL: CIO 2007 Priority List

2007 CIO priorities are surfaced, with ITIL making the list this year ...

... "Last year IT governance and compliance were the top CIO spending priorities and both are still of high importance with just over half (52 per cent) looking at governance and 42 per cent looking at compliance in 2007. " ...

Via Silicon.com: 2007 CIO Priorities ...

Leadership Practices: Sound Advice

There's an excellent article on leadership practices in this month's CIO Magazine from Susan Cramm, an executive coach and president of the coaching firm, Valuedance.

Cramm lists a number of things that IT leaders can do to practice "safe leadership." It seems like motherhood and apple pie, but it's a good reminder of the basics that we so easily forget. This includes the following (I've paraphrased the descriptions in parenthesis):

Foster good relationships (Learn the business and get around more among your customers.)

Forge a shared IT vision, strategy, and tactical objectives (Co-create this with your customers and other IT leaders. Agree on decision responsibilities. Understand the appropriate technical and business areas involved.)

Deliver on time, on budget (But beware of big, waterfall-style projects. Limit the number of projects. Less is more.)

Develop quality solutions (Have appropriately scaled methodologies, frameworks, policies, and tools, but beware.. It's easy to lose credibility here.)

Realize business value from IT investments (Use operational measures meaningful to the business. Measure during and after the project to insure business value is achieved. Hold business partners accountable for insuring benefits realization.)

Here's the full editorial...

Leadership Under the Influence - Editorial - CIO

Growth: Enabled By IT Strategy

Even non-profit orgs have growth plans enabled by IT strategy. ...

... "But his IT strategy doesn't sound much different from those in the for-profit world: Expand globally, improve mobility, drive growth. " ...

Via InformationWeek: College CIO

CIO Focus: Replenish Talent, Plan Succession

With the perfect storm of aging demographics heading toward us, CIO's need to assess their talent, plan for career development of their staff, and create a map for succession. ...

... "Top of the list is the need to address the imminent loss of senior members of IT departments. With many CIOs due to retire in the next few years there will be a huge loss of knowledge and wisdom ... " ...

Via Silicon.com: Link

IT Governance: Steady Progression

IT governance is a journey and CIO realize they cannot implement the process overnight. A wise choice is to implement a few basic building blocks and then expand through cycle of learning and continuous improvement. ...

... "While expectations about the role of IT in growing the business and governance are expanding dramatically, CIOs are cautious about how quickly they can rise to the challenge. " ...

Via CFO: Link

CIO Expectation: Efficiency

CIOs are expected to run an efficient and highly-available IT utility. Differentiation is the key to the CIO success system. Can the IT organization move to a strategic relationship with the business and differentiate itself from peers? ...

... "And second, that CIOs don't get rewarded for running an efficient utility. " ...

Via Koch CIO Blog: Link

Lean IT Strategy: Virgin America

Virgin America needs a cost-effective, yet differentiated strategy, in the US market and its IT strategy must be based on a low-cost model. Its CIO plans to run an efficient data center, negotiate smart contracts, and leverage open-source platforms. ...

... "And their IT strategy will be, of course, lean and mean. " ...

Via CIO: Link ...

Company Info: A U.S. majority owned and controlled company, Virgin America intends to launch domestic U.S. scheduled airline service utilizing new Airbus A320 family aircraft beginning in 2006. The company has announced agreements to take firm deliveries of 34 A320 family aircraft including 19 purchased aircraft from Airbus and 15 leased aircraft from GE Capital Aviation Services. Virgin America's corporate headquarters is in the San Francisco Bay Area, and its principal base of operations is at the San Francisco International Airport. Virgin America's goal is to build an innovative, creative travel brand based on safe and efficient operations, low costs, outstanding guest service, and a unique level of engagement by its team. Its mission is to create an airline people love.

Quality vs. Quantity: Is it Really a Choice?

There's an article in CIO magazine about how business leaders are beginning to choose quality over quantity (although the evidence seems to be to the contrary). The article refers to quantity as faster, more, cheaper, etc. But is it really a choice?

With adequate up-front research, phased deliverables, frequent communication, and good change management practices, we can achieve both. Phased deliverables provide earlier benefits (i.e. speed), fact-based learnings, less resistance, less rework (i.e. cheaper) and many other benefits. Change management practices insure that the rollout of any new feature or product won't break something (the level of change management needed must of course be appropriate to the type of product and industry).

And so what if it turns out through the early phases that requirements must change or more features are needed? As long as the change impact is managed and the change is agreed-upon, that's perfectly fine. These value-based course-corrections are another advantage of phased deliverables.

These precautions are the difference between speed and haste. As Patton said, "Haste is speed without planning." Indeed, we can achieve quantity and quality.

Here's the CIO article...

Getting Quality Over Quantity Better the First Time Around - Business Pulse - Leadership RC - CIO

Project Controls Governance: Michigan Recognized ...

State of Michigan recognized by State CIO Association for excellence in governance and project controls. Executive sponsorship embraced project oversight and a project office established the performance control standards and monitored status independently and objectively. ...

... "Michigan's child support enforcement system (MiCSES) is an excellent case study of how a large failing project can be transformed into a successful one with the aggressive application of project management processes. " ...

Via NASCIO: Awards

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 ...

SOX IT Compliance: Verizon Exemplar ...

Verizon honored as an exemplar in IT SOX compliance. The company was noted for their use of work process and systems to enable the high-level of performance through its SOX program office. Best practices cited: strong finance dept partnership, leadership committment, and proactive auditing. ...

... "Verizon Business strives to be a role model in IT governance and compliance, said Judy Spitz, Verizon Business chief information officer. Spitz heads the company's Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Program Office, which is responsible for maintaining and improving IT controls and monitors more than 30 of the company's largest revenue and transaction volume applications. " ...

Via Verizon Business: Verizon Business Honored With Prestigious Technology Managers Forum Award ...

Friday the 13th Project Nightmares

It seems only fitting on Friday the 13th to link to CIO.com's list of the 25 most terrifying IT Horror Stories.

Have fun...

25 Terrifying Information Technology Horror Stories - Special Reports - CIO

Technology Evolution: Call to Green Action ...

As computing density increases, power consumption is spiraling out of control. It is time for the Information Technology industry to do its part in energy conservation and management. ...

... "Chief information officers need to wake up to the issues of spiralling energy consumption and environmental legislation, and develop greener approaches to IT, according to Gartner. " ...

Via ITNews Australia: Gartner urges IT to go green ...

A green strategy can include server virtualization which increases asset utilization and lowers the energy footprint of the datacenter ...