ITM Platform's blog.
Productivity
Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work. Peter Drucker
Planning is complicated, but it is even harder to turn that plan into a reality. Putting the entire team to work in a coordinated manner without losing effort is a real challenge
Information systems strategy management: positioning
In implementing strategic alignment there are various positionings which can be established, providing a framework within which the organisation will manage the application of IT. The positioning adopted by the company, ideally by means of an explicit...
Project Manager = CEO of MyProject Inc.
It is said that a project manager should think and act like a CEO of a small enterprise, that enterprise being the project itself. How should a project manager behave when appointed CEO of MyProject Inc.? If you have a habit of committing, then you will...
What does an ineffective project manager look like?
You may have had some experience with a project manager who was not as efficient as perhaps they should have been. When we come across an ineffective project manager, what do you usually think of them? Which characteristics upset you most?
Project manager elevator pitch
Imagine you are a project sponsor. You enter the elevator and bump into your project manager. There are two kinds of conversations you are likely to have: Conversation 1: You: Hey! I’ve been meaning to catch up with you. How’s my project coming along?...
Great! You've got the right project management tool (Then, the organization ignores you and pays no attention to the benefits you see so clear)
I see it every day. Organizations acquiring project management solutions and failing at the implementation. Why? Probably because you know how important project management is, but the rest do not (necessarily). Moreover –and worse-, they might be right. Of...
Information systems strategy
Information systems strategy should be viewed as supplementing business strategy, helping to apply technology better in order to underpin the aims and competitive advantages pursued. As with any strategy, it must identify the future situations towards...
Technology sphere: alignment with business strategy
It is vital for the information systems strategy to specifically adapt to the nature of the business it is intended to support. There are no universal formulae for success, as each organisation has its own unique aims and resources. As a result, the first...
Keys to planning and execution of the information systems strategy
Organisation of the Information Systems area Within the sphere of strategic planning of information systems, at some point one must decide on the organisational model to be adopted in order to implement the plans. If the aim is to achieve appropriate...
Parkinson’s Law: Phony deadlines
If the most probable estimated duration for a project is 10 months, project managers might be tempted to reduce the target deadline to 8 months and thus compensate for possible delays. According to Parkinson’s Law “work expands so as to fill the time...
Project managers: Overtime is offset by "undertime"
An occasional pressure increase and overtime can be useful tactics to keep people focused and increase the perception that their work is important, but prolonged pressure is always a mistake.
It has been shown that overtime is offset by fewer productive hours, or under-time.
Project managers should work through a credible planning
A project manager cannot be proactive without an up-to-date and credible plan, i.e. without knowing what is going to happen on their project next week, next month, etc. This is serious. Not only because doing otherwise tells people you are an ineffective...