How To Avoid IT Project Failures | IT Strategies For Future Cities

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Monday, April 22, 2013 News   |   Commentary   |   Slideshows   |   Reports   |   Videos   |   Events   |   RSS Feeds   Coverlet Meshing   5 Steps To Avoid IT Project Failures My debut column for InformationWeek exposed some big, hairy reasons IT projects fail. It should comfort you to know that I don't pretend to have all the answers, or at least I won't until I'm trying to sell you something. So instead of answers, let's focus on the direction in which we need to walk to get to that shining goal on the horizon -- not the "city upon the hill" that Reagan and JFK spoke about, but the nondescript office park at its center. 1. Stay clear of cheese. Don't get me wrong. I love the smell of cheese. My favorite is a seasonal offering from Vermont that contains horseradish. But one smell I can't stand is the ingratiating stench of management consultants who prey on the vanities of the elderly by saying things like "IT project success demands that you get support from senior management." If you're in that kind of company, then you're already a lost cause. And not just because you hire a fleet of consultants to sell you cheese and another fleet to tell you who moved it. You're lost because in most organizations "senior management" is code for those random few whose gut-based decisions have been right in the past. Careers advanced by lottery. Because if anything deserves the warning that "past performance does not predict future returns," it's senior management, not mutual funds. The older I get, the more I wish that there were some folksy home remedy for it, like rubbing oatmeal on your elbow. But for those of us genuinely interested in transforming our orgs, step one is to change the talent that drives it. READ MORE • Big Data: Hype Vs. Hope At Interop • InteropNet's Live Wire Act • Interop Preview: Expert Advice On Building Private Cloud Exclusive for IWK Readers: Attend Interop and help Build IT Innovation. Click here or use Priority Code MP_BTMNLIWKTWI to save an additional $200 off advanced pricing on All Access and Conference Passes. Join us for access to 125+ workshops and conference classes, 300+ exhibiting companies, and the latest technology. see also... Why You Should Attend Interop JOIN THE CONVERSATION Posted By LorenDavie "A commitment to quality ('four stars') is admirable, but isn't really a strategy either. Even the idea of 'mobile strategy' is creating an artificial container around the problem, and the opportunity." In reply to: "Have You Really Started A Mobile Strategy?" View Entire Response | Post Your Own Reply     INSIDE THIS WEEK'S ISSUE OF IWK GOVERNMENT Urban transformation requires IT innovation. Discover how five U.S. cities are forging ahead. ALSO: Video surveillance provided valuable clues to the Boston Marathon bombings, serving as a lesson to other cities. Log In Or Register To Download     NEW THIS WEEK IT Strategies For Future Cities How mayors and CIOs in five U.S. cities are using technology to create more efficient, sustainable urban areas that are good for business and great places to live. Amazon's Vogels: Big Data Belongs In The Cloud Amazon CTO Werner Vogels predicts real-time analysis and "invisible" Hadoop capacity on demand are the future of big data computing. How IT Can Stay Relevant Leaders and staffers alike had better stay focused on helping out, no matter what that looks like. Big Data For Mom-And-Pop Shops Startup Tranzlogic brings big data-style analytics like those used by giant retailers to small and midsize merchants. Boosting The ROI Of Your IT Degree A technology-focused master's degree can be the key to a better job. As Innovation Competitions Grow, Prize Money Shrinks Latest crowdsourced contests aim to attract data scientists with $100,000 prizes -- not yesterday's millions. MORE FROM THIS ISSUE   REPORTS & WHITEPAPERS FEATURED REPORTS Research: 2013 U.S. IT Salary Survey Salaries are rising slightly, with median compensation for IT staff at $90,000 and for managers at $120,000. Here are 11 key insights that IT pros should take from the findings from our 14,000 survey respondents. Download Now (Registration Required) MORE REPORTS FEATURED WHITEPAPERS Practioners Guide to SOC This guide is intended to provide a technical audience the core information necessary to evaluate the security controls essential to establishing a Security Operation Center (SOC). Download Now (Registration Required) MORE WHITEPAPERS   MOST POPULAR NEWS New iPad To Be Thinner, Lighter: Report Next Apple iPad expected to weigh a little over one pound, debut in fall. 8 Ways Microsoft Could Save Windows 8 Windows 8's coming-out party was a bust. How should Microsoft revive its flagging Windows franchise? Apple iPhone 5S: Best And Worst Rumors What will Apple's next iPhone, or iPhones, look like? As the rumors fly, we separate the likely from the ludicrous for the iPhone 5S. Google Nexus 7, Take Two: What To Expect Google watchers expect a new version of the 7-inch Nexus tablet to debut soon. Here's what it might look like. Is Apple Looking For Tim Cook Replacement? Apple board may have started secret search for new CEO, one report says. MORE NEWS     WEBCASTS Optimizing Cloud Computing through Elastic Storage Come hear hear about XIV cloud elasticity and its beneficial impact on customers' IT operation Storage can -- and should -- be the elastic pillar of your cloud that makes the difference. Join us Tuesday, April 24, 2013 to find out how. More Information & Registration MORE WEBCASTS   RESOURCES AND EVENTS E2 Conference Boston E2 is the only event of its kind, bringing together business and technology leaders looking for new ways to evolve their enterprise applications strategy and achieve business value. Join us in Boston, June 17-19, for three days of 40+ conference sessions and workshops across eight tracks and discover the latest insights in enterprise social software, big data and analytics, mobility, cloud, SaaS and APIs, UI/U, and more. Don't Miss It! Register Today! This e-mail was sent to sojo.blo@gmail.com This Week At InformationWeek -- Published By InformationWeek 600 Community Drive Manhasset, NY 11030 To update your profile, change your e-mail address, or unsubscribe, click here. Thoughts about this newsletter? Give us feedback. Keep This Newsletter Out Of Your SPAM Folder Don't let future editions of This Week At InformationWeek go missing. 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