This document discusses how to make promises in IT projects that can be kept. It notes that customers want IT that enables their business, but IT often constrains businesses instead. Many IT projects experience cost overruns, delays, and failures. The "Malevolent 7" causes of project issues are identified as poor planning, inflated scope, inadequate resources, poor design/build quality, legacy environment issues, unidentified risks, and weak project management. The document advocates creating conditions for success by squeezing out unnecessary scope, providing truthful timelines, ensuring right resourcing, assembling a high-performing team, and protecting the team from pressure. Making realistic promises to the team regarding enablement and engagement can help ensure project success
IT managers often talk about the technology in far more technical terms than business people can understand (or actually care about!).
If stronger communication and integration is to take place between the IT and other internal business units, then IT needs to learn how to talk and listen very differently.
Dr. Anderson provides guidance about how to be a better business communicator focusing on how to create and deliver presentations that contain detailed technical information in a way that is engaging to a non-IT audience and allows you to better connect with business people.
For more information on Dr. Jim Anderson and his company, Blue Elephant Consulting, find out more on the web at http://www.BlueElephantConsulting.com
Outsourcing is a proven strategy, but it can fail if you do not plan it thoroughly. There are no short cuts to reaping benefits of outsourcing. It requires planning and execution on your and your service providers’ part. Here we have documented some of the key steps that are important to making outsourcing successful.
RISKPRO INDIA
• Riskpro is India’s first national practice dedicated to risk management services and training, corporate governance, and global regulatory compliances
• Risk can be defined as a prospect of loss or reduced gain that can adversely affect the achievement of an organisation’s objectives
• When greed overtakes need, it spells trouble. Manifested as ‘bankruptcy’ in much of the developed world and ‘corruption’ closer to home, greed has clearly disrupted some major industrialised economies and enhanced the risks of doing business
• In today’s world, risks are not few. The reason companies so often fail to systematically manage their key risks is rooted in the way they define the risks they face. Risks are manageable and the answer to untapped business opportunities that lie dormant waiting for risk factors to turn favourable
• Riskpro was founded in 2009 with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore and it has already added eight member firms in Ahmedabad, Agra, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ludhiana, and Pune. All our offices and member firms are well equipped and staffed with qualified professionals viz. CA, CWA, CS, CPA, CIA, CISA, CFA, and MBA
• Riskpro’s founders are qualified risk management specialists with extensive work experience in Europe and USA in several industries and financial institutions
• Riskpro aims to be the preferred service provider for large and medium enterprises on risk protection, corporate governance, and global regulatory issues; delivering state-of-the-art quality and timely services at viable rates
RISKPRO SERVICES
• Our four major practice specialisations /service lines are:
Risk: Enterprise Risk Management (services and training & recruitment)
Governance: Corporate Governance and Transparency
Compliance: Global and Indian Regulatory Compliances
Training: in all of the above service lines
• The Risk Practice deals with all classes of risks and processes viz. governance, strategic, systemic /infrastructure, compliance, reporting, and financial reporting. Processes require that key risks are properly identified, measured, monitored, controlled, and reported. Processes may also require tools like risk based internal audit, information security testing, and fraud investigations, to be employed
• The Governance Practice deals with corporate oversight and risk governance issues within an organization including business continuity planning, compliance with SEBI guidelines by listed companies, regulations relating to independent directors, investor expectation and protection, Clause-49 on corporate governance, etc
• The Compliance Practice covers a wide range of regulatory and environmental compliances including Sox, IFRS, Solvency II, Basel II /III, Corporate Laws & Direct Tax Code etc
• The Training Practice comprises of a variety of structured and /or industry specific training programs and modules designed and conducted by Riskpro experts and trainers at onsite (client or other off
IT managers often talk about the technology in far more technical terms than business people can understand (or actually care about!).
If stronger communication and integration is to take place between the IT and other internal business units, then IT needs to learn how to talk and listen very differently.
Dr. Anderson provides guidance about how to be a better business communicator focusing on how to create and deliver presentations that contain detailed technical information in a way that is engaging to a non-IT audience and allows you to better connect with business people.
For more information on Dr. Jim Anderson and his company, Blue Elephant Consulting, find out more on the web at http://www.BlueElephantConsulting.com
Outsourcing is a proven strategy, but it can fail if you do not plan it thoroughly. There are no short cuts to reaping benefits of outsourcing. It requires planning and execution on your and your service providers’ part. Here we have documented some of the key steps that are important to making outsourcing successful.
RISKPRO INDIA
• Riskpro is India’s first national practice dedicated to risk management services and training, corporate governance, and global regulatory compliances
• Risk can be defined as a prospect of loss or reduced gain that can adversely affect the achievement of an organisation’s objectives
• When greed overtakes need, it spells trouble. Manifested as ‘bankruptcy’ in much of the developed world and ‘corruption’ closer to home, greed has clearly disrupted some major industrialised economies and enhanced the risks of doing business
• In today’s world, risks are not few. The reason companies so often fail to systematically manage their key risks is rooted in the way they define the risks they face. Risks are manageable and the answer to untapped business opportunities that lie dormant waiting for risk factors to turn favourable
• Riskpro was founded in 2009 with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore and it has already added eight member firms in Ahmedabad, Agra, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ludhiana, and Pune. All our offices and member firms are well equipped and staffed with qualified professionals viz. CA, CWA, CS, CPA, CIA, CISA, CFA, and MBA
• Riskpro’s founders are qualified risk management specialists with extensive work experience in Europe and USA in several industries and financial institutions
• Riskpro aims to be the preferred service provider for large and medium enterprises on risk protection, corporate governance, and global regulatory issues; delivering state-of-the-art quality and timely services at viable rates
RISKPRO SERVICES
• Our four major practice specialisations /service lines are:
Risk: Enterprise Risk Management (services and training & recruitment)
Governance: Corporate Governance and Transparency
Compliance: Global and Indian Regulatory Compliances
Training: in all of the above service lines
• The Risk Practice deals with all classes of risks and processes viz. governance, strategic, systemic /infrastructure, compliance, reporting, and financial reporting. Processes require that key risks are properly identified, measured, monitored, controlled, and reported. Processes may also require tools like risk based internal audit, information security testing, and fraud investigations, to be employed
• The Governance Practice deals with corporate oversight and risk governance issues within an organization including business continuity planning, compliance with SEBI guidelines by listed companies, regulations relating to independent directors, investor expectation and protection, Clause-49 on corporate governance, etc
• The Compliance Practice covers a wide range of regulatory and environmental compliances including Sox, IFRS, Solvency II, Basel II /III, Corporate Laws & Direct Tax Code etc
• The Training Practice comprises of a variety of structured and /or industry specific training programs and modules designed and conducted by Riskpro experts and trainers at onsite (client or other off
IT projects are failing at a rate of 25%, and 45% of our projects are challenged for being late, over-budget, or providing less than required features and functions. Unfortunately this has been a habitual problem for IT and more importantly it has been a source of conflict and contention between IT and the business community we serve. Our business community, more than ever, demands speed and flexibility in taking products to market. As a result, approximately 35% of IT organizations have adopted or are in some form of adoption of agile practices and agile software development.
In this presentation we will discuss the following:
Common Agile Misconceptions
Why Should the CIO or CTO Care About Agile?
What Does the Business Community Need to Know About Agile?
Barriers to Successful Enterprise Agile Adoption
Introduction to the concept of agile nearshore outsourcing.
The combination of agile processes with nearshore outsourcing offers a lot of benefits. This presentation explores the basic ideas of agile and nearshore outsourcing and how both approaches can be combined.
Tools like CenterBridge are sufficiently different from our old forecasting spreadsheets to prompt more than a few changes in our processes. No longer forced to be as linear as we used to be, we can solve problems in more holistic ways, sometimes from multiple angles. All of this adds up to analytical capability that can make the executive team impressed with Workforce Management, but are there implications for existing staff members? This presentation describes the experience of an early CenterBridge user as she implemented the software, and as she checked in with each user ten years later.
How to Create a Positive and Profitable Call Center CultureKnowlagent
A positive call center environment is critical to a company’s success or failure in the eyes of its customers and its bottom line. Knowing how to leverage call center talent to create a positive atmosphere will ultimately increase agent productivity and performance.
Bill Craib
Vice President of HCI's Center for Human Capital Excellence (CHCE)
With the flux in economies around the world, the style of talent used inside of organizations is a hot topic. Yet many organizations still see contract labor as a short-term solution rather than an integral part of their talent management strategy. In this original research & presentation from the Human Capital Institute, we'll address how factors like economic conditions, unemployment, and contingent program maturation influence why and how companies use contract talent.
Business valueiIs a conversation_kent-mcdonald_#bddxnyWendy Devolder
Kent McDonald explains how Business Value is a conversation, not a number, at the Agile Testing & BDD eXchange in New York (Oct 1sr 2012). Find this and other presentations at this conference her:
http://skillsmatter.com/event/agile-testing/agile-testing-and-bdd-exchange-nyc/wd-23
• You are looking for cultural integration in a multicultural company
• You have to improve your productivity more than 7 %
• You want to implement self-directed teams
• You need new leadership for highly skilled power teams
• You have to solve conflicts that block more than 5% of your efficiency
• You need a successful lighthouse-style project to become the emotional
• master plan for other projects
• You want to change the lack of identification and need better employer
• image for new hires
IT projects are failing at a rate of 25%, and 45% of our projects are challenged for being late, over-budget, or providing less than required features and functions. Unfortunately this has been a habitual problem for IT and more importantly it has been a source of conflict and contention between IT and the business community we serve. Our business community, more than ever, demands speed and flexibility in taking products to market. As a result, approximately 35% of IT organizations have adopted or are in some form of adoption of agile practices and agile software development.
In this presentation we will discuss the following:
Common Agile Misconceptions
Why Should the CIO or CTO Care About Agile?
What Does the Business Community Need to Know About Agile?
Barriers to Successful Enterprise Agile Adoption
Introduction to the concept of agile nearshore outsourcing.
The combination of agile processes with nearshore outsourcing offers a lot of benefits. This presentation explores the basic ideas of agile and nearshore outsourcing and how both approaches can be combined.
Tools like CenterBridge are sufficiently different from our old forecasting spreadsheets to prompt more than a few changes in our processes. No longer forced to be as linear as we used to be, we can solve problems in more holistic ways, sometimes from multiple angles. All of this adds up to analytical capability that can make the executive team impressed with Workforce Management, but are there implications for existing staff members? This presentation describes the experience of an early CenterBridge user as she implemented the software, and as she checked in with each user ten years later.
How to Create a Positive and Profitable Call Center CultureKnowlagent
A positive call center environment is critical to a company’s success or failure in the eyes of its customers and its bottom line. Knowing how to leverage call center talent to create a positive atmosphere will ultimately increase agent productivity and performance.
Bill Craib
Vice President of HCI's Center for Human Capital Excellence (CHCE)
With the flux in economies around the world, the style of talent used inside of organizations is a hot topic. Yet many organizations still see contract labor as a short-term solution rather than an integral part of their talent management strategy. In this original research & presentation from the Human Capital Institute, we'll address how factors like economic conditions, unemployment, and contingent program maturation influence why and how companies use contract talent.
Business valueiIs a conversation_kent-mcdonald_#bddxnyWendy Devolder
Kent McDonald explains how Business Value is a conversation, not a number, at the Agile Testing & BDD eXchange in New York (Oct 1sr 2012). Find this and other presentations at this conference her:
http://skillsmatter.com/event/agile-testing/agile-testing-and-bdd-exchange-nyc/wd-23
• You are looking for cultural integration in a multicultural company
• You have to improve your productivity more than 7 %
• You want to implement self-directed teams
• You need new leadership for highly skilled power teams
• You have to solve conflicts that block more than 5% of your efficiency
• You need a successful lighthouse-style project to become the emotional
• master plan for other projects
• You want to change the lack of identification and need better employer
• image for new hires
A hard look at the softer side of business analysisJoe Newbert
Step forward the Business Analyst star. Taking a hard look at the soft skills as a catalyst for Business Analysis success, in the December 2008 IIBA Newsletter.
Creating the Culture of Innovation through an Innovation Program that encourages employee to contribute ideas to grow the business, create operational efficiencies and improve customer satisfaction - Based on the Innovation Program I created at my company
Project management is a special skill or a common sense? most imp is to track,b alert, reviews & mitigate risks
"
"Earthsoft Foundation of Guidance (EFG) is working as an NGO/NPO for students - Education & Career
guidance and for Professionals for soft skills enhancements. I am working on speading , sharing
knowledge; experience globally.It has uploaded important presentations at http://myefg.in/downloads.aspx.
Also https://dl.dropbox.com/u/83265908/Links-events.xls has links for all ppt files.
Read http://tl.gd/jm1gh5
Be mentor using your education, knowledge & experience to contribute for a social cause & do conduct
free training/ workshop seeking help of existing platforms like rotary,etc
Kindly spread to your friends.Thank you!
- Earthsoft Foundation of Guidance
Let us make earth little softer..
"
Agile adoption tales from the coalfaceNish Mahanty
This talk discusses how to fail with an Agile change transformation, and lays out some practical tips for successfully adopting agile software delivery processes within your organisation. Presented at Telstra, Superpartners, and several Meetups.
On this panel Steve Gordon, Duke Witte, and Patrick Flynn will discuss the long term benefits of being a CenterBridge user and the inherent advantages of having multiple years of historical reference in CenterBridge to draw from when planning.
By: Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Steve Gordon , Wyndham Hotel Group, Duke Witte, and Liberty Mutual Insurance, Patrick Flynn:
This is a presentation about how to PREPARE, CREATE and DELIVER an effective presentation. It was first delivered at the AMA MR Conference in Palm Desert, October 2009.
If you’re experiencing indecisiveness about which projects to pursue, are overwhelmed by resource demands, stressed about executive requests, or just suffering from a generalized sense of panic, you’ve come to the right place. The portfolio management doctor is in, offering a consultation and proven treatment plan to address these symptoms:
*Too Much Demand – Dealing With A Key Stressor
*Conflicting Priorities – Taking Control
*Resource Optimization – It’s All Going To Be OK
*Financial Anxiety – Delivering Tangible ROI
*Planning for the Future – Where Do You See Your Portfolio In 5 Years?
*Reaching Portfolio Nirvana
4. but IT (sometimes)
Customers want IT that ... supplies IT that . . .
enables their business constrains their business
saves time and money adds time and money
is always working is unreliable
is totally secure is insecure
is flexible and scaleable is inflexible & unscaleable
is easy to use is legacy and clunky
is cheap to implement is tricky to use
is delivered quickly is expensive to implement
is modern and sexy is delivered late
lasts for a while soon needs replacing
is implemented by helpful is implemented by grumpy
IT people who fully highly-paid IT people who
understand their business don’t understand their
business
6. IT Projects - School Report
• Harvard Business Review 2011, 1471 IT projects
o Cost overrun - 27%
o 1 in 6 is a "black swan"
Cost overrun - 200%, time 70%
• Standish Group
o Average overrun - cost 40%, time 80%
• Panorama Consulting - 2,000 projects / 61
countries, 2006-2012
o ERP Projects - 61% late
• BCS "only 1 in 8 IT projects can be considered truly
successful" - ie delivered to cost, time and quality.
8. The Malevolent 7
Poor / over optimistic planning
Inflated scope
Inadequate resources
Poor quality design/build
Hostile legacy environment
Unidentified risks
Weak project management
Left to their own devices, all projects will go wrong
and deliver late….
9. Helpful things we do
when projects go wrong
Get closer to the detail
Critique the MSP Plan
Ask for more reporting / RAGs
Add new progress meetings
Tighter control and process
Solve issues ourselves
Add more management
Bring in the consultants
Enforce overtime & tell them to work harder
Implement bonuses / penalties
Sack the vendor
Change the PM
Shout and intimidate
Demand more / increase the pressure
Take over ourselves . . .
. . . and save the world
10. Plan B
Ask not what
your team
can do
for you
Ask what
you can do
for your
team
11. Setting ourselves up for success
Create the conditions for success
More Leadership
Less Management
12. We Manage
We Lead
• Authority & Control • Influence & Negotiation
By
• Directing • Consulting
• Precision • Vision
Focussing On
• Risk avoidance • Risk vs Opportunity
• Consistency • Flexibility
• Short-term • Longer-term
• Formality • Informality
Using
• Our own experience & knowledge • Our team’s experience &
knowledge
Providing all of the . . • Answers • Questions
TASKS AND PROCESS PEOPLE & STRATEGY
13. The dimensions of success . . .
Quality
Time Cost
How do we create the conditions for success?
Scope
14. Squeeze out the scope
With the Business
Flush out real
business value
Challenge woolly With Your Team
business cases
Keep IT simple
Challenge Function
functional thinking Technology
Do the MUST Deliver in chunks
haves
15. Tell the Truth about the Timescales
Confidence
Variability in estimate
FS /
BRD / LLD
HLD Cone of
Initiati
on Uncertainty
Time
Conception
16. Lets Play . . .
Deadlines, Targets, Plans and Promises
Customer
PLAN REALITY > FAILURE
False Deadline
IT PLAN REALITY > FAILURE
Unrealistic Target
PLAN = SUCCESS PLAN = SUCCESS
Achievable Plan
Promises we Keep
17. Right Resourcing
Do - portfolio resource planning
Don’t - spread people across projects
Don’t - start without the right
resources.
18. Assemble into a team
Enabled
Squeeze scope
Truthful
timescales
Right resources
Now we need to
glue together a
team
19. High Performing Teams
Engagement / People
LOW HIGH
Enablement / Task
DETACHED MOST EFFECTIVE
HIGH PERFORMING
HIGH
5% 49%
(n 50%
= 744)
Specsavers 2010 = 46%
Hay Group norm = 46%
LEAST EFFECTIVE
WALKING DEAD FRUSTRATED
LOW
21%
20% 25%
(n = 313)
Specsavers 2010 = 23%
Hay Group norm = 27%
20. What can we Promise our team?
Enablement Engagement
Resources Calm
Scope Clarity
Timelines Honesty
Protection Trust
Support
Communication
Protection
21. Provide Protection
Be a Buffer for the Pressure – not a cause of it.
Performance
Pressure
23. We get what we give . . .
Fear (of you) Confidence
Pressure Support
Mistakes Pride
Cover-ups Honesty
Blame Trust
Failure Success
Disappointment Praise
24. Failure due to poor
leadership Promises we Keep
Success
Failure due to poor
management
Editor's Notes
And this is what we doIs this really the answer?
JFK – and he got a man on the moon. Explain diagrams.
Two things we do –we employ managers to manage – we should focus on leadership.Always answer a question with a question?
Our Favourite Tetrahedron. Quality is a given for me – and cheap (includes reliability, security, support, easy to use etc). Cost will be driven scope and timescales. So focus on SCOPE and TIME
Critical to coming up with an achievable plan. We blame the customer, but IT can be our own worse enemy – knobs and whistles, wanting features and perfect solutions.
Don’t confuse a target with a deadline – there rarely is a fixed deadline – flush this outDon’t confuse a target with a plan. Targets are fine so long as they stay as targets. Make this clear in the languageDon’t confuse a Plan with a promise.Only Promise what you can deliver, deliver it, say you have delivered.Oh – and ensure the start date is the REAL start dateWIN WIN
Resources – the main reason projects fail. Some rules here. Portfolio Planning AHEAD
Explain
Creating the conditions for success. Calm (confidence), Clarity (clear goal and purpose – see the bigger picture) Honesty (breeds honesty), Trust (delegate and demonstrate), Support (brig in the pizzas, fix the issues, defend them), Communication (be accessible)