Technology Practice

This paper addresses the most common issues facing companies that make use of vendors and sub-contractors in a software development environment. It attempts to address the myth that you can exercise little control over vendors and sub-contractors.

APM is one of the single most effective IT management paradigms ever developed. When implemented properly, its impacts on the software inventory, its associated infrastructure and the cost of external organizations supporting it are astonishing.

Our third and final stage of PPM Maturity establishes 3 different sets of functions. First – Infrastructure is developed, meaning Services, Assets, and Applications as the infrastructure components of Enterprise PPM. Second, external Products and Services that the organization sells are defined. Finally, we add a Benefits Realization process to capture both tangible and non-tangible benefits.

The accepted definition and associated conventions of project governance have arrived. The challenge will be how individual organizations introduce, standardize and mature it into and along with the breadth of their project, program, and portfolio systems.

The architecture of our portfolio models provide continuous visibility into the current state, the future state and progress to date of our organizational initiatives and allows us to adapt to the internal and external drivers of change

…it challenges you as PM to consider your project team as the epicenter of your project world and its formation and continued care the real drivers of project achievement.

A supremely committed client team can overcome almost any challenge or deficiency in another area – but nothing can compensate for a team that lacks or loses interest.

Implementing a project risk management approach is vital for any project organization. Risk management doesn’t have to be resource intensive or difficult for organizations to undertake. With a reasonable amount of effort by the project team, risk management can provide very tangible benefits.

Garbage in equals garbage out. There is an effort and a skill set required to reap the benefits of risk management. And as study after study has shown, risk management is something project teams are willing to blow off completely or just pay lip service to.

Given the many job descriptions, responsibilities and duties, as well as the various ‘hats’ a Project Manager must wear, can we ever really agree on a single, common sense perspective in regards to Project Manager competencies?

If you plan on building or recommending the deployment of a PMO in your organization, it isn't too early to start thinking from a strategic operations perspective. If you’re the one selling it - or, perhaps the one buying it - then the effort will no doubt begin with a strategic formulation of this sort...

Formal Change Management plans will specify the particulars of any given organizational change scenario in order to make new technological transitions digestible. This regimen is indispensable. However, the focus of this article is the identification of less formal, deliberate behaviors that enable Project Managers to act as change agents.

In the annals of organizational change and continuing project operations, few endeavors have the potential to create the same level of discontent as that of time reporting. During its initial implementation and roll-out, it can be downright hazardous to a Change Agent's health.

Back before Project Portfolio Management was so universal a ‘concept,’ lacking the assortment of scholarly works, consulting organizations, and PPM System Vendors - PPM existed in a kinder, gentler world.