Tag Archives: it success

Watch my videos from the IT Leader GROWTH SUMMIT

Posted on January 22, 2019 | Leave a comment

Recently, I participated in the IT Leader GROWTH SUMMIT 2018, an all online event targeted to helping IT managers improve their success. The reason I participated was because it reinforces my company mission: “helping IT managers of the world achieve more success”.

There were over 50 speakers from many parts of the world during the 1-week agenda so it was truly an international event. Lots of fun plus I learned some things.

My participation was twofold.

First was an interview we recorded on the topic, “Attack the Triple Threat to IT Success to Achieve More”. It includes a short training segment followed by a candid interview with me about aspects of the Triple Threat that exists in companies around the world.

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The second part was to lead a group discussion on the topic, “Let’s Chat About the Modern IT Organization”.

Discussions in this session include:
– What do you focus on initially in a new CIO role?
– How do you position IT more strategically?
– How can IT break out of the purely technical narrative?
– What is the role of the IT Leader in strategic business discussions?
– Who are the people in the C-Suite that the IT Leader should partner with?
– Is communication that important? And if yes, what type of communication?

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The Debate about Project Managers

Posted on February 29, 2016 | Leave a comment

project managementAre project managers really needed for IT success?

GREAT QUESTION !

What do you think?

The question is, , , “Can you be successful without having an IT Project Management focus?” Give me your perspective in the poll below before reading the rest of the article:

 

OK, I hope you responded to the poll above and checked the results.

Now, it’s time for me to give you my opinion.

question

The question is, “Do you need project management focus to achieve IT success?”

My opinion, , , , ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Projects are not successful on their own, , , they are successful because project managers make them successful.

Without a project management focus, the tasks that need to happen when they need to happen simply do not get completed without a project manager pushing them along.

Let me repeat, , , project managers make projects happen, , , projects do not get completed successfully on their own, , , they just don’t. In fact, projects will not be completed successfully unless someone:

  • pushes the project forward
  • checks to see that all tasks are completed on time
  • anticipates the obstacles that might jeopardize the project’s success

I’m a big believer in placing project management focus on the projects we undertake within an IT organization. To me, it is absolutely essential.

Let me back up just a second. Certainly, an IT organization can achieve some level of success without project management focus. Thousands of small and mid-size companies do it every day. However, your success will be limited and exposure for failure is significant, , , especially with large complex projects.

So, where does the project management debate occur?

What happens is that organizations that apply traditional project management methodologies tend to require quite a bit of overhead, , , too much, in some cases.

My sense is that there needs to be a reasonable amount of “monitoring”, “reporting” and “management” when you manage a project.

I’m not a proponent that says you need to produce all the reports and do all the things that are defined in PMI’s PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge) or similar resources. I believe it requires too much overhead and administrative time.

What I do endorse is that you need a certain amount of structure (methodology) you follow and regularly scheduled status checks to help move a project along.

Operations people often do not want to spend the time to meet every week to discuss project status, identify risks, or discuss problem resolution strategies. They just want IT to complete the project so they can get on with their work.

The bottom line is that operational business people don’t always see the need for project management. Their approach is often, “Just do it, and leave me out of it.”

This is where the debate happens. How do we manage a large complex project so it doesn’t require an excessive amount of time and administrative effort but is sufficient to do the job, , , i.e., deliver the project successfully?

Without the process, odds are extremely high your project is going to fail. “Just doing it” simply won’t be reliable.

At a minimum, projects need seven things to consistently be completed successfully – on time, within budget and meet client needs:

  1. Requirements definition – Some call this a scope document. No need to create a voluminous document here but you must quantify:
    1. Project goals and objectives
    2. Specific deliverables
  2. Project Sponsor agreement on Item #1
  3. Project Schedule that lists all tasks to be completed, completion time frames, and responsibility for completion
  4. Budget that has reasonable amount of buffer
  5. Staff the project with capable resources
  6. Project Kickoff Meeting to get project team members on the same page and to reinforce commitment required
  7. Weekly Project Status Meetings to check status and keep the project moving (i.e., to monitor and manage the Project Schedule)

All of these elements can be accomplished practically and simply, , , without lots of overhead. The point that needs to be made though is that each part needs focus and must be addressed if you want to deliver projects successfully.

it project management ebookFor additional insight on managing successful projects, take a look at my book,
IT Project Management: a practical approach

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How significant is positive attitude?

Posted on February 19, 2016 | Leave a comment

phoneI was in a non-business setting with several people I know not long ago. It was during the holidays and a young man who was in the group started commenting about a phone call he had with his manager that morning.

What I heard bothered me.

What he described was that his manager called him to ask some questions about a client situation they had. It was a normal work day but the young man was on vacation following a major holiday.

He then proceeds to almost boast to our little informal group that he made absolutely sure his manager understood, “he was on vacation”. The assumption seemed to be, “I don’t do company work when I’m on vacation.”

I don’t know what you think about this, but my thought was, , ,

WOW !!!

I immediately put myself in this young fellow’s manager’s shoes and thought about what he must be thinking if this kid actually made these statements and in the tone he stated he did.

Again, , , ,   WOW !!!

I want to see this young man succeed, but he is going to struggle with this kind of attitude. His whole demeanor came across as sarcastic and negative, , , arrogant even. That’s what I heard and I’m sure it’s what his manager heard, , , again if he used the same bravado tone and words that he expressed in our group.

Maybe he was trying to boast to us a bit that, “he is in charge” and didn’t actually have the conversation the way it sounded. Hopefully that’s what it was because I can assure you his manager made a note in the back of his mind about the young man “not being a team player” if he did.

Let me put in some context to all of this:

  • I know the young man but don’t really know much about what he does other than it has to do with technology.
  • I don’t know the manager nor do I have any idea as to whether he is a good manager or a weak one.
  • I know nothing about the situation that precipitated the call.

So, I don’t know very much about the situation, , , but what I do know a little bit about is managing people and how managers tend to view things.

My reaction is simple. The young man in question is making a big mistake.

I’ll give the manager the benefit of the doubt and assume he is a reasonably decent manager. If so, here are some thoughts from a management perspective:

  • We don’t call our employees when they are on vacation unless we have an emergency or maybe the employee is the only person who has information we truly need before he gets back.
  • Managers are looking for team players who “step up” when the opportunity presents itself.
  • None of us want to abuse our employees. We want them to take vacation and time off so they can recharge the batteries.
  • Calling someone on vacation is usually a last resort to an important situation.
  • We look for people with “can do” attitudes, not people who complain and make life difficult.
  • “Can do” people get ahead; difficult people do not.

I’m concerned that this young guy won’t advance as much as he could if he maintains this negative attitude. He seems to be capable technically, but the best technical people are not always the people who get ahead.

Positive attitude, teamwork and people skills are just as important, if not more so, than strong technical skills.

Part of what I heard in the discussion was that our young man knows the technology and feels empowered by it, , , even so much as thinking he can put his manager in his place and almost chastising him for daring to call him while on vacation.

This is a false assumption, , , eventually the employee loses if that’s the case. The reason is simple, , , we have a job to do and at times very challenging work that can be stressful. Managers are looking for positive contributors and team players. Ultimately, this manager will not be held captive by his employee no matter how capable he is with the technology.

I can tell you that I would do two things with an employee who responded the way this young man stated he did:

  1. Coach him on a few things:
    1. How this comes across, , , i.e., negatively
    2. There are business reasons why a call to him while on vacation might be necessary
    3. Explain what the business implications are if he can’t be reached
    4. Talk about how we get him out of being a “silo of information” so we don’t need to call him on vacation
  2. Start identifying my backup plan so we aren’t at risk if we lose him

Managers want their employees to be successful, , , but we won’t be held hostage by a great technical person who can’t be a positive force on the team. Teamwork rules because without it the entire organization fails.

In summary, positive attitude and teamwork are key, , , maybe two of the most important aspects of what helps you get ahead. It doesn’t mean you can be technically incompetent, but given the choice of two people who are technically competent and one that is positive and the other is negative and difficult to work with, , , who do you think gets further ahead?

Yep, , , the positive force and the person who understands the importance of teamwork.

Positive attitude can make all the difference.

IT people must be aware of something. Our personalities are often skeptical of others and we prefer to do things ourselves, , , not necessarily teamwork traits. It’s important for career success to be a positive contributor and avoid confrontation when possible.

When challenges occur, , , look for positives in the situation, , , not the negatives. It will reward you in the long run because people around you will notice the upbeat, consistently positive attitude you have even under duress.

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Educate senior managers about “IT leverage”

Posted on February 16, 2016 | Leave a comment

supply and demandIT managers face many challenges – nothing new, is it? Here are some problematic realities that studies and surveys reveal every year:

  • High percentage of IT project failure
  • Half or more IT organizations are out of sync with company needs
  • IT managers fail to communicate effectively
  • IT organizations are often viewed as reactive, unresponsive and unreliable

Not a pretty picture if your IT organization fits into one or more of these scenarios.

A big problem is that quite often these issues exist with your IT organization, but you aren’t aware of it, , , or maybe don’t truly understand the dynamics of it. I see this all the time.

But, , , there is good news!!!

IT organizations offer their companies leverage, , , tremendous leverage. In fact, your IT organization right now offers your company more leverage than any department in your company, , , significantly more.

The IT organization is the only department in a company that can positively impact every department in the company.

This is HUGE !!!

That’s right, your IT organization can help reduce the expenses in every department of your company, , , or improve the productivity of the people in every department with implementations of technology.

No other department in a company has this kind of leverage.

Astute CEO’s will actually spend more money in their IT organization when they understand the leverage opportunities an effective IT team can produce.

Let’s say this again, , , “will spend more money in their IT organization”.

The only reason a CEO would do this is because he knows he will get a positive return on investment (ROI) when doing so.

It’s important that IT managers understand the leverage value they offer their company. What’s equally important is they they help their senior managers realize this. After all, if a CEO does not know IT has the leverage, he won’t spend more in IT – right?

So what should you do?

Here is what I recommend:

  1. Begin to understand the leverage opportunities an IT organization offers yourself
  2. Recommend IT initiatives that will deliver quantifiable business value benefits. See my articles on “business value”for additional insight:
    1. Business value is key
    2. Business value is the key to IT manager job security
    3. IT Strategy: align your IT vision for business value
  3. Build a positive track record in delivering projects successfully and track the results
  4. Maintain a Project Initiatives Portfolio to quantify and communicate your project success rate and benefits derived
  5. Educate your senior managers so they are aware:
    1. Explain the leverage potential IT offers
    2. Communicate your track record of IT success
    3. Quantify the benefits the company has received from IT efforts

Three things are required before a solid CEO will even think about investing more in IT:

  1. Awareness of the leverage potential an effective IT organization offers
  2. A track record of recommending projects that provide business value
  3. A track record of delivering the goods when projects are approved

What this says is that the CEO must be aware of the leverage potential and also be confident that spending more in IT will give his company positive benefits worth such an investment.

Educating your clients is critical for your success. Don’t assume your CEO or other senior managers already know about the leverage potential you offer them. The unfortunate reality is, , , there is a good chance they aren’t aware.

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6 Keys to Successful IT Projects plus a secret

Posted on January 26, 2016 | Leave a comment

projectDelivering projects successfully is critical for your IT organization; in fact it is the key to IT credibility, , , not just the IT organization’s but your credibility as an IT manager as well. That means you need to do things that position your organization for project success.

What is “project success”?

Simply put, project success includes delivering projects that are:
–  completed on time
–  delivered within budget
–  achieve the stated goals and objectives
–  meet client expectations

In my experience, there are 6 keys to delivering IT projects successfully:

1.  Manage the project’s scope
There are two parts in managing scope – defining the project goals and quantifying the deliverables. Being specific about what the project will achieve and what you will deliver is how you manage your client’s expectations. First rule of delivering a successful project is that you must establish realistic and achievable expectations with your client in the beginning before you actually start working on project tasks. If you don’t, you have no chance in delivering the project successfully.

2. Develop a solid project schedule
A good project schedule identifies all the tasks that must be completed to deliver the project successfully. Once you know exactly what must be done, you can staff the project appropriately and budget the project. Project schedules define:
– tasks that must be completed
– task responsibilities (accountability for completing each task)
– task completion timelines

In a nutshell, a good project schedule defines what, who and when.

3. Staff the project with competent people
It goes without saying that you won’t be very successful if you do not have competent people taking care of the required tasks. Once you identify the tasks required to deliver the project successfully, focus on the people that have the required skills who need to take responsibility for each task.

4. Be conservative when budgeting and estimating task completion time frames
There is a golden rule in IT, , , “Things take longer and cost more than you think they will.” Believe it, it’s true. If you do not have buffer in your budget and project timeline estimates, odds are high that you will either be over budget or deliver the project late, , , or both. Be conservative when estimating project costs and task due dates. You want to position your project team to over deliver. No one gets upset if you complete the project early or under budget.

5. Schedule a Kickoff Meeting to get everyone on the same page.
A great way to get the project started on the right foot is to hold a Project Kickoff Meeting with all project members attending. It allows you to set expectations with the project team members, to identify bottlenecks or key risk areas that might prevent project success, and to outline the guidelines for future project status meetings, , , i.e., “come to status meetings with your tasks completed and prepared”. An effective Kickoff Meeting helps you get everyone on “the same page” and started on a positive note.

6. Manage the schedule with weekly project status meetings
Projects don’t happen on their own. They are successful because project managers make them happen, , , they push and guide projects to the finish line so they are delivered on time and within budget. An important tool project managers use to do this is by holding weekly project status meetings to understand issues that arise, make corrective actions as needed and to push the project forward. You can build a great schedule and budget, but if you do not “manage the project” with regularly scheduled status meetings, the project won’t be delivered successfully.

meeting-3OK, these are what I consider the 6 keys to managing projects successfully, , , but there is a secret component you need to know about. Three of these key elements require strong communication. Unfortunately, IT managers have a tendency to be weak communicators. I’ve discussed this issue many times in prior posts. It’s a very real problem.

The bottom line is that poor communication is the root of much of our IT failure.

That’s right, in order to complete three of the six key parts of successful project delivery, you must communicate effectively:
1. Manage the project’s scope – This requires you to quantify the goals and objectives and spell out specifically what will be delivered to your client so you can gain agreement. It requires you to communicate with your client.
2. Hold a Project Kickoff Meeting – This requires you to communicate the schedule and obtain “buy-in” from all project team members that they can complete the tasks by the scheduled completion dates.
3. Hold regular Project Status Meetings to manage the project – Again, strong communication skills are required to make this happen.

My sense is that 70-80% of projects that fail are caused by poor communication and not doing these three key parts just listed effectively.

Let me give you two quick examples:

1. Often, IT people are so eager to start the work on a new project, they don’t spend time to define the scope and gain commitment from their client on the specifics that must be delivered. In many cases, they don’t even take the time to define what they believe are the requirements of a project, , , they simply start working. Doing this will spell “disaster” every time.

2. Another example is that I’ve seen IT organizations stop holding Project Status Meetings and updating the project schedule because “it takes too much time”. Yes, it does require time, but if you fail to monitor and manage the project by reviewing the weekly tasks that must be completed, , , you might as well go ahead and ring up another project failure to your list.

it project management ebookRemember, projects don’t happen successfully on their own, , , they are successful only when someone manages the project and pays attention to the details. A big part of this detail work is the communication aspects of three of the six key parts of successful projects that I have laid out to you.

If you are interested in a practical resource and tools to help you deliver projects successfully, check out my book, IT Project Management: a practical approach.

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Getting IT credible, , , project management is key

Posted on April 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

In an earlier post, I mentioned, “The most important part of creating IT success is being able to conduct a thorough IT assessment so you can determine what your organization needs to work on.” CLICK HERE to view.

The second most important element required for IT success is that you must become a credible organization.

“Credible”, , , what does “credible” mean?

Credibility only comes when your client trusts you can and will do what you say you will do. Simply put, it means you deliver projects successfully.

You can conduct a great IT assessment and deliver an eloquent strategy that gets lots of acceptance, , , but if you can’t deliver projects successfully, you will not have credibility. Getting credible is absolutely a requirement to become a successful IT manager at any level. 

That’s why project management is so important for an IT organization.

There are three main parts to all of this:

First, you have to define and prioritize the projects. This happens during an IT assessment.

Second, you have to deliver the project, , , this is actually the project management component.

Third, you need to track your projects and demonstrate your success rate in delivering projects on time, within budget, and meeting client expectations.

All three components are very important. If you don’t identify the appropriate projects to work on and prioritize them so they help your company the quickest, clients don’t think you are focused on the right things.

Deliver a project successfully but fail to communicate your success and no one will know about it, , , so it’s important to “bookend” the project work with an appropriate assessment on the front and effective reporting on the back.

See my IT Initiatives Portfolio post and download a simple tool to help you quantify and report your project successes, , , CLICK HERE to view.

There is absolutely no excuse for failing to deliver a project successfully in today’s world. With the methodologies, tools and training in this area you would think that most IT projects are delivered successfully, , , but to our dismay they are not.

Studies show there is a high failure rate with IT projects, , , year after year.

You don’t have to have a PM certification like a PMP to deliver a project successfully, but you do need to know something about project management and it helps to have a few tools. A PM certification doesn’t say you are a successful project manager, , , it says you have knowledge about project management and passed an exam.

I’ve delivered hundreds of projects successfully with some of the simplest tools. The key is knowing what to focus on and doing a few key things that positions you to deliver your project successfully. Do these things well and success is achievable.

In a future post, I’ll give you my “Tips to project management success”.

If you are looking for project management help, I recommend you take a look at two resources:

  1. IT Project Management: a practical approach – I wrote this book to give managers a simple and practical process in project management and it includes the tools I use myself to deliver a project successfully. It’s a quick read and gets right to the point. Learn more.
  2. TenStep, Inc. and Tom Mochal – The company that provides the most in project management in the world is TenStep, Inc. Tom Mochal has created an international force in providing project management tools, training and consulting services.  Check out www.tenstep.com.

Project management is the cornerstone of credibility

It is why you should focus quickly on delivering projects successfully when taking responsibility for a new IT organization. Get credible and IT success is just around the corner.

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Your client is always right

Posted on March 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Before you think I’ve lost it completely, , , let me explain.

In an IT organization, we are there to support the technology needs of people who need technology to do their jobs. In most situations, technology is not the company’s core competency. It is banking services, manufacturing widgets, selling food, clothes, or books, , , or doing something to sell products and services they provide. It is rarely developing technology.

Our IT clients are primarily two groups of people in your company:

  1. Senior managers
  2. Department managers and their employees

If your clients think you do a good job, , , great. However, if they think you are doing a poor job in supporting their business, , , guess what, , , you are.

STOP RIGHT HERE

Let me clarify just a bit.

You might actually be doing a super job with the technology. In fact, you could be the best technical organization around, , , the VERY BEST !

However, if the client thinks you are doing a lousy job in supporting them, something is askew. It could be that you are simply not managing their expectations very well. If that’s the case, then there is a problem.

Delivering technology services well is not just about doing a good “technical” job. You must also manage the client so they agree you are delivering support successfully. The flip side of this is that you could be doing a mediocre job technically, but if your client thinks you are doing a great job in supporting their business, , , guess what , , , you are.

Now, I know what the technical purists are going to say, , , something like, “Mike, that’s crazy. You should know that unless the technical part is handled well, there is no way to be successful in supporting technology.”

All I can tell you is that I’ve seen many outstanding technical organizations get low marks from their clients because they aren’t managing the client’s expectations well. They may be superior technicians but they are respected less because the client’s expectations are out of whack.

Something to think about!

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