IT project management involves assessing, prioritizing, and planning any project that will involve technology. This includes assigning resources and responsibilities to meet objectives. Plus, it includes creating a realistic timeline from the planning stage through to the completion of the project, as well as any follow-up.
This is a process followed for projects like developing software, installing hardware, upgrading networks or equipment, moving to cloud computing or virtualization, or changing the way IT services are implemented and delivered.
Everything from project cost, to process quality, to human resources, risk, and communications is part of IT project management. There is a lot to be done, and perhaps because of that, it is all too easy to decide to keep doing things how they have always been done. But sticking with the status quo means bypassing the opportunity to reenergize, optimize, and bring new value to the organization.
With that being said, here’s what revitalized IT project management looks like and why you should put it into place.
How IT Project Management is Revitalized
First, it is important to take a look at your existing IT project management processes and practices. Perhaps you are finding that the organization has stagnated in growth, or that you are not quite meeting your objectives — or if you are, your projects are coming in over budget, or over schedule, representing a poor return on investment.
The Project Management Institute’s 2018 report into success in disruptive times says 9.9 percent of every dollar is wasted due to poor project performance. This could also be described as $99 million for every $1 billion invested. Organizations with strong IT project management can avoid this type of loss. It’s a big reason to let go of old practices that aren’t working and shift project management into a more powerful role.
Maybe your own organization isn’t seeing millions of dollars in loss thanks to poor project performance, but if you can analyze recent project history and see where things could have gone better, there is room to improve.
PMI sees this as the only way forward for organizations, noting the need to consider challenges emerging and to move forward from just “best practices”, to “next practices” that encompass the trends and adaptations looming in the future. That’s what revitalization does.
How To Revitalize IT Project Management
Simply saying that organizations need to shift to a forward-thinking approach does not define a clear road map forward. We will share more specific strategies and techniques for shaping your own organization’s revitalized IT project management in future articles within this series. In the meantime, here are key insights that inform revitalization on any scale, in any industry.
First, know that revitalizing is doing more than changing. It is not a matter of adding a few new tools and techniques to your project management wheelhouse, and calling it a success. To truly revitalize project management practices your organization needs to reinvent itself on a fundamental level, addressing areas like organizational culture, the vision of the organization, investment in different projects and resources, and the risks you are willing to take.
It also involves being predictive. While you cannot fully and accurately predict the future and work your way through every potential outcome, today’s technology makes it easier to use business intelligence in decision making. You should have a good idea of what changes are coming within your industry, and within the global market landscape. On top of that, you should know how your IT project plans depend on things that are likely to change, and be able to create contingency plans to keep your projects, and your organization, on the path to success.
Revitalizing project management may seem like a big project itself, and it is — but it is a project that you can get through successfully, with a great positive result, if you set yourself up with the right resources. GroupLink is proud to be your partner in optimizing and using IT business intelligence to help your organization be the best it can be.
Follow along with this series to get a deeper understanding of the role revitalized project management plays in achieving your organization’s objectives consistently and effectively. Next up, with Revitalized IT Project Management: Getting Started – Examples, we will show you how organizations like yours have taken the first steps toward fundamental changes for the better. As you read our series or explore our site, if you have any questions or want more information, get in touch. Give us a call at 801.335.0700 or contact us online.