All IT Projects Are…. Projects?

I was recently having coffee with a fellow business owner. His company is in IT services. He made a statement which was one of those ones that, in hindsight, seemed brain dead obvious. But after more than a decade in business it hadn’t really occurred to us: “Everything we do is projects. We should have project managers.”

I’ve worked with many IT departments and technologists. By far the easiest to work with, most likely to achieve the desired results, best able to deal with hurdles that arise, with the best communication, most able to adapt to evolving business situations, and most able to pull together individuals with diverse backgrounds and from different companies, have been those with formally designated project managers who are part of the (ad hoc) project group, but outside of and separate from (at least most of) the day-to-day technical, get-it-done, labor or brain intensive work.

In short, the PMs work ON the project, while the rest of us work IN the project. (There a lot of different philosophies and perspectives on project management; that’s outside the scope of this post.)

Having formal project managers still seems to be exceedingly rare among the organizations I work with. Even those that do have “PMs” on the payroll, are very selective about what projects they put them on. And, it is not unusual for IT to “just do it” before anyone realizes the PM role was overlooked, even on complex, long-term projects.

Well, IT is full of projects. In fact, other than the call center/support desk and a few other process-based areas, EVERYTHING in IT is a project. And IT projects are notorious for not being on time, being over budget, having underwhelming business results/impact, being (too) disruptive, poorly communicating changes to the stakeholders (which include all of the so-called “users”), never quite being done, and similar malfeasance.

IT Project Managers Get Boost From Downturn

According to Computer Economics, investments in project managers within IT departments have grown throughout the economic downturn. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it actually makes a lot of sense:

Perhaps the most pressing reason for the growth in project management personnel is that many organizations have a poor record of bringing IT projects in on time and within budget. Much of the work in IT organizations today is project-based, and IT managers realize that project management is a critical element in delivering successful projects—and thus, value—to the business.

That’s equivalent to MORE than 25% growth, starting in — notably — the year that businesses really started looking at their capital spending, operating efficiency, project efficacy, business priorities, business models, sourcing approaches, and staffing levels. All of which touched IT.

You’re Already Paying for Project Managers Whether You Have Any or Not

Project management should be a core competency of any IT department. If it’s not in yours, you’re still “investing” in it — by flushing time, money, energy, and success down the drain — you’re just not getting the returns you ought to be.

You’re paying for “de facto” project managers even if you don’t hire any. But using a key member of your existing project’s team may not be the most appropriate use of resources. The only question is, are you utilizing your resources wisely and getting your value worth?

It is not an appropriate use of resources to expect the closest executive to the project to take on the PM role, any more than it is to expect one of the key engineers with expertise in a critical area of the project to fill the role. Even intermediate managers are often spread too thin or too wrapped up in politics to fill the role.

I part with this thought: it is not unusual to be contacted by a client to resolve a “technical” hurdle that can be traced to a lack of project management. IT projects inherently involve systems thinking, and that includes technical, business, and people, which are all part of and influences on the success and level of impact of a project. And without success and a high level of impact on the business, what’s the point of showing up for work at all?

 

Technologists Are Two-Headed Monsters

 

The job of an effective technologist is to spend more money …not less.

If you are doing your job right, the more you spend, the more the business will make.

Sound like B.S.?

Not really, but there is an essential “catch”.

The problem is that there are two different mentalities in the IT realm when it comes to the role that IT can play in making money within the business. If you try to be one while your organization expects the other…. you’ll fail and run up against a wall of frustration and disappointment. (If you’re not in sync, it won’t matter how good you are either; Being particularly good could even make things worse).

If you are doing your job right, the more you spend — regardless of your dominant mentality, the more the business will make[1].

The two mentalities are:

  • You spend money to bring in more money (to increase sales).
  • You spend money to save money (to reduce expenses).

The former typically directly impact sales or revenue, while the latter more directly impact expenses and operational efficiency[2]. All, when effective, lead to increased profits. Expenses (investments really) in either category can improve competitive positioning and contribute to business agility and financial strength (among other things).

If this distinction, and their relevant merits/trade-offs don’t make sense to you, dig in and learn a bit more about your organization’s business model, business strategy, competitive positioning, customer base, and general strengths and weaknesses.

Once you understand there are two different mentalities, and that one likely dominates in your organization, you’re golden[3]. You can then properly apply yourself to the problems and opportunities faced by your organization, growing rather than butting heads.

Then, if you’re really good, you pursue both mentalities simultaneously.

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Try This Exercise in Your Department

Call in your senior most technologist.

Ask them to list all of the key devices and systems they are aware of in your organization’s IT infrastructure.

Once that list has been created, call in the next person. Ask them to look over the list and add other devices and systems they are aware of.

Continue until your entire team has been exhausted. Then check with any key vendors, contractors, and consultants, sharing the list with them.

Finally, call your team together and ask them to assess what would happen if that device or system failed. That is, go through each item on the list.

Don’t let anyone shrug off any item on the list. Make it clear that not having a plan or clear response to a given device or system failing is fine. Failing to acknowledge it is not.

Lead with your eyes wide-open. Encourage your team to do the same.

It is impossible to go through this exercise without not only simply learning something, but becoming a more informed leader. It’s also likely a few improvements will be made right away. It also sets the right tone for continuously improving.

What Every IT Professional Should Be Thinking About Right Now

With economic uncertainty, competitive pressures, the demand for steady growth (rapid or not), budget pressures (which are a matter of priorities more so than resources), and the (accurate) realization that many IT functions are, in fact, commodities (subject to all manner of outsourcing and manipulation) while others are — most assuredly — not, the IT professional (whether executive, manager, or staff employee) is needed more than ever to offer value added counsel and services to the stakeholders they serve.

At the top of your agenda — which every one of your business stakeholders should be hearing from you about — is Continue reading

How To Avoid The Cost of Taking I.T. for Granted

The primary purpose of the IT function in an organization is often taken for granted. This has created persistent problems and wasted significant opportunities in nearly all organizations in existence today. This lack of clarity continues to persist, without an end in sight, and yet it is addressable. Continue reading