IT Project Management ∞ September 22, 2006

Synopsis

Nils Fonstad – Transforming a Company, Project by Project: The IT Engagement Model

Nils Fonstad will present his research on how firms effectively link projects to company-wide strategic objectives. He has found that companies that effectively use projects to address both strategic and tactical objectives draw on three key components: company-wide IT governance that provides business units common goals and rules for how to use IT; project management that ensures that each project solution meets local objectives and is developed on time and within budget; and linking mechanisms that ensure that project-level decisions are connected to higher-level goals. Nils will provide several examples of effective linking mechanisms and engage participants in a discussion of their experiences and reactions.

Mark Keil – Pulling the Plug on Troubled IT Projects

Project failure in the information technology area is a costly and frequent problem. In many cases, these projects seem to take on a life of their own, continuing to absorb valuable resources, while failing to deliver any real business value—a phenomenon known as escalation of commitment to a failing course of action. This presentation will focus on the factors that promote IT project escalation, and how managers can recognize the problem and learn to pull the plug if necessary on troubled IT projects.

Steve McConnell – Ten Myths of Rapid Development

The software industry commonly confuses high-energy motion with rapid, meaningful progress. Many projects are developed under intense schedule pressure and are still delivered late. This talk explores 10 myths of rapid development, digs into core issues of achieving short schedules, and explains how to lay the groundwork for truly effective software improvement. This talk is based on Steve McConnell’s best-selling books, “Rapid Development” and “Professional Software Development.”

Agenda

9:00 a.m. – 10 a.m.                                                          Continental breakfast and registration

10:00 a.m. – Noon                                                           Mark Keil

Noon – 1:00 p.m.                                                             Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.                                                     Steve McConnell & Nils Fonstad