Finding the Way: A Tao Approach to IT Project Management

FINDING The Way A TAO APPROACH TO IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT The ancient Chinese philosophy the Tao, often translated as the Way, states the ultimate creative principle of the universe, positing that all things are unified and connected. Apply the Tao to IT project management, which has now become too complex and chaotic for most businesses, and we find the Way to organization and harmony. THE BASIC EVOLUTION OF IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT The more technology you implement to simplify business processes, the more confusion you create. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous stage in which they were easy. PROPRIETARY MEASURES Taking matters in your own hands, your team creates a variety of spreadsheets for all your company's programs and applications; however, multiple departments and numerous people clutter the process. :? Ultimately, spreadsheets tell you nothing. Your team has no big picture, as things change too fast and too often. The further one goes, the less one knows. THE BOTTOM UP APPROACH TO PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGMENT The more you know, the less you understand. You implement Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software to untangle the mess, yet soon find that the level of detail and complexity needed to adopt this extensive organizational change will be a challenge across the board. THE LIMITATIONS OF BASIC PPM You realize basic PPM isn't working. According to a 2012 global project management survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), 32% of companies blame project management failure primarily on "poor estimation during the planning phase." Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and it can't be heard. Reach, and it can't be grasped. Survey respondents cite these reasons for their poor success rates: Changes in scope mid-project Lack of executive Poorly defined goals and objectives Insufficient Poor sponsorship resources communication Why can't you see these problems coming? LACK OF VISIBILITY Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and A complex IT infrastructure makes aligning applications and projects to overarching business objectives impossible because you can't see how they connect. When you can't see the big picture, you can't assess performance. the water is clear? BENEFIT Achieving intended business benefits 5 TIME Meeting deadlines QUALITY Adhering to set quality standards BUDGET Staying within budget constraints PWC's survey outlined 5 key performance indicators for measuring project success: SCOPE Processing defined scope, without straying from it ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL Enticed by a laundry list of features and functions, you consider a large software suite-yet suite solutions are not the answer for everyone. Must you value what others value, avoid what others avoid? How ridiculous! "..the downside of suites-the time, cost, risk and disruption of a multi-year implementation project-and the fact that all that hardwired integration often comes a complexity and rigidity.."1 the co of increased •.. If not a suite, then what? FOCUS ON THE OUTCOME It's time to determine what you do need. You've built the infrastructure, but what are all your IT projects and applications for? The door and windows are cut out to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space (within), that its use depends. LAYING SOLID FOUNDATION Determine what's necessary and what needs updating within your IT infrastructure. Now you are on the way to a foundation that makes sense from the top down. Gravity is the root of lightness. х THE INTEGRATED APPROACH The Master arrives without leaving, sees the light without looking, achieves without doing a thing. The real solution to your overgrown IT infrastructure is clear: Alignment among applications, projects, and strategies requires visibility-from the top down. 2 in 3 business that employ integrated IT Portfolio Management (ITPM) report more than 90% of their organizations' projects perform to the 5 key performance indicators' expectations. FINDING THE WAY The benefits of an Integrated IT Portfolio Management approach are substantial. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful. Accountability across all projects is increased. IT application and project portfolio visibility is achieved throughout. The cost of poor IT project management is reduced. Application clutter is eliminated. End-to-end visibility is gained at all levels. Deadlines reached more quickly and efficiently. YOU'VE REACHED NIRVANA In harmony with the Tao, the sky is clear and spacious, the earth is solid and full, all creatures flourish together, content with the way they are, endlessly repeating themselves, endlessly renewed. Pay heed before you head down the wrong path, You can halt the growing chaos by integrating a solution that provides real visibility into your entire Information Technology portfolio. 1 "Suites vs. Best of Breed: The Argument Rages On," Jim Shepherd, INNOTAS Vice President, Distinguished Analyst, Gartner, March 22, 2011. Cloud Solutions for IT Management