5/27/2003 By Robert C. Norton Founder, Executive Vice President and COO Knowledge Management - Viewpoint
Seven habits guaranteed to avoid project failure
It is commonly understood in the IT industry that "most projects fail." This prediction of doom and gloom is overheard in corporate corridors and has been consistently written about in the technology trade media. Large-scale information technology projects are traditionally prone to greater failure rates than other complex projects of similar size and scope -- in engineering or construction, for example. According to a University of Maryland study, projects are often designated as "failures" if they are over schedule by more than 30 percent, over budget by more than 30 percent, and the end product does not meet user requirements.
Industry research reports that most projects "seem" to fail in the last third of the project; yet in reality, they fail in the first third of the project. For those IT executives not experienced or well-trained to manage complex IT projects, a project may look like it is running along smoothly until it is too late to do something about it.
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Frugal Flyer
4/18/2003 By Larry Dignan and Mel Duvall Baseline - The Project Management Center
Take a lesson on controlling costs from ATA, which means more than eliminating free peanuts.
Paul Smith, director of information services for ATA Airlines, doesn't particularly like the term "cheapskate" to describe the way he controls costs at the Indianapolis-based airline.
It's not strong enough.
Try penny-pincher, miser, or his own favorite description—Machiavellian. "It has been said that, given enough steel wool, I could knit my own servers," says Smith, a 19-year veteran of the aerospace industry.
In some respects, Smith only wishes he were joking about controlling costs. He'd love to have a massive technology budget, with money to throw at the latest and greatest computer hardware and software.
But the airline industry has been waging an all-out war to slash costs since September 2001. The crisis in Iraq has only increased the pressure. This may very well go down as the most difficult period ever to face the airline industry.
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Project Outsourcing Tips from StrategIT's Bob Norton
3/24/2003 By John Zipperer Internet World
Successfully outsourcing an IT project lets you offload some of the difficulties and -- you hope -- some of the cost, but it doesn't mean you get to offload your brain and the thinking necessary. In fact, careful planning and monitoring are critical components of making a success of such projects, according to Bob Norton, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of StrategIT (http://www.strategit.com), a technology services consultancy. Skimping on those components leads to most potential problems.
But Norton begins by cautioning that successfully gaining the benefits of an outsourced technology-based project is not a simple matter. "There are no silver bullets in this aspect of what we do here," he says. "There's just a ton of hard work and experience."
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Regulations Create Niche For Tech Consulting Firm
2/17/2003 By Melanie Nayer
Banker and Tradesman
MORE THAN EVER, THE BANKING INDUSTRY IS faced with a growing array of regulatory compliance issues, an occurrence that almost inevitably raises information technology questions on regular basis. While for bankers, compliance and technology issues are obstacles to be overcome, for at least one local spin-off start-up firm, they are the essence of opportunity.
StrategIT, a Massachusetts firm specializing in technology consulting for financial services companies, will open its doors this week. Owners Robert Norton and Dana Zahka said their new company would provide banks and financial institutions with the expertise needed to “do more with less” through technology and “increase their returns on infrastructure investments.”
