CIOs with, without PPM software discuss IT project governance
Posted by Arjun ThomasAnother interesting article that talks about IT project governance.
How do midsized organizations manage IT project governance, and how many use project and portfolio management (PPM) software in those efforts?
Recently we asked readers those questions in our first comprehensive survey of IT project governance and PPM. The findings: that IT governance is an informal process at many midsized organizations. About half of the midmarket companies responding reported having either an IT governance board or steering committee (36%) or a project management office (PMO) (22%) to help set priorities and align projects with business needs, according to the 236 respondents from organizations with 100 to 1,000 employees.
About 17% reported using PPM software, two-thirds of them for three years or less.
Yet interviews showed that it wasn’t the level of PPM maturity or use of PPM software that made a difference — the existence of a governance structure determined how successful an organization would be in terms of IT project efficiency, customer satisfaction and project completion.
IT governance without PPM software
For example, Exclusive Resorts LLC, a 200-employee luxury destination club that was founded in 2002, adheres to agile methodologies for software development, which promote frequent inspection and adaptation of code and requirements throughout the project management process. It does not use PPM software.
However, it does have a PMO that manages projects and a technology advisory committee of all C-level executives. That group meets once a month.
Read the entire story here..
Project Manager
Posted by Arjun ThomasLocation: Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Salary: £35000 per annum + Car
Company: Fusion People
Job type: Permanent
Date posted: 17/06/2009 15:45
Description: A small to medium refrigeration and air conditioning company is looking for a Small Works Project Manager to be responsible for small projects up to £30k but typically under £10k. Working on mostly retail projects you will be expected to survey the sites, cost the jobs and possibly carry out design if necessary. A competitive salary and a company car are on offer to the successful candidate.
You will be able to demonstrate a solid project management background within air conditioning and refrigeration. Ideally you will be used to running multiple small projects at once and be comfortable surveying, estimating and pricing jobs. A formal recognised qualification in a related industry discipline is also required.
Fusion People is committed to promoting equal opportunity to people of all ages in the workplace and operates as both an employment agency and employment business.
Capgemini’s adoption of tools for KM
Posted by Arjun ThomasWith more than 90,000 employees worldwide, the virtual nature of Capgemini requires a sophisticated knowledge management system that gathers and filters information from communities around the globe. CTO Andy Mulholland used Web 2.0 technologies such as information tagging, blogs, and wikis as the backbone for Capgemini’s knowledge management approach. The Web 2.0 technologies let users validate information through tags and ratings, making it more useful to their often-changing needs. Mulholland also adopted Google Apps as a supplement to traditional productivity tools to allow collaboration within Capgemini and with clients across the globe.
The challenge was more difficult than you might expect: As a consulting firm, Capgemini needs a strong focus on compliance activities, which are often technology-enabled. Yet the compliance emphasis of IT’s efforts interfered with the company’s need to collaborate flexibly internally and with clients. To overcome this disconnect, Mulholland and his team built an “enabling layer” with four core elements: service-oriented architecture, data, network, and standards. But the layer also separates the business functionality and the technologies from each other where necessary. This duality allows greater integration and more rapid adoption of new technologies across the company without creating problematic entanglements.