Project management for CIOs

This guide is part of the SearchCIO Executive Guide series, which is designed to give IT leaders strategic guidance and advice that addresses the management and decision-making aspects of timely topics. For a complete list of topics covered to date visit the Executive Guide section.

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CIO certifications: Do they matter?

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[Matt Bolch, Contributor]

The top three certifications that senior IT executives are enrolled in or planned to take are project management, IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Six Sigma, according to the recent SearchCIO.com salary survey. Other certifications listed included Certified Information Security Manager, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified Information Systems Security Professional and even the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.

But talk to CIOs, former CIOs and recruiters who focus on the IT industry, and they agree that certifications generally have no bearing on who occupies the top job within the IT department.

"We get requests about certifications or specific experience 10% or less of the time," said Jon Davis, director of western operations at Matrix Resources Inc., an Atlanta-based IT staffing and solutions provider. "More often than not, companies are looking for functional experience."

   Learn more in "CIO certifications: Do they matter?" Also:

• CIOs make project management skills a priority (SearchCIO.com)
  Long neglected in favor of technology know-how, formal project management skills are suddenly in demand.
• CIO Spending Countdown -- (project management) (CIO Decisions magazine)
  Project management skills are in short supply, according to a Forrester study.

PM success: Dress QA to the nines

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[Info-Tech Research Group Inc., Special to SearchCIO.com]

Quality assurance (QA) for project management is the practice of ensuring the project management discipline is set up to produce quality deliverables. In evaluating the overall approach to projects, enterprises are setting up their projects for success. Enterprises should introduce QA for project management to identify suboptimized processes. Info-Tech has simplified this exercise for enterprises looking to take their project management to the next level.

This note will:

• Define quality assurance for project management.
• Describe the nine project management knowledge areas.
• Provide a checklist for evaluating the nine knowledge areas for quality.
• Discuss key considerations for enterprises considering QA for project management.

   Find out more in "Project management success: Dress QA to the nines." Also:

• CRM projects fail because users say 'no thanks' (SearchCIO.com)
  New research shows that about one-third of CRM projects fail. Sales reps don't want to use the technology, experts have found. It's up to you to show them the way.
• SOA projects fail to deliver as expected (SearchCIO.com)
  Nearly two-thirds of SOA projects fail to bring ROI, according to Nucleus Research. Experts say SOA works, but enterprises need to take a better approach to adoption.

Project Expert: The science of PMO ROI

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[Michael Vinje and Michelle Burke, Contributors]

Let's talk about something we all love: ROI.

Let's talk about return on investment in the context of something we all need: project management (PM). If you're like most CIOs, it's your job to make sure project management improves under your watch. Your performance -- and your bonus, if you get one -- may very well be tied to achieving ROI.

If yet another discussion of ROI brings on an automatic headache, we've got good news: You can tie PM to ROI, but you have to be willing to do some work to close the proverbial loop.

   Learn more in "Project Expert: The science of PMO ROI." Also:

• Special Report: Implementing a Project Management Office (Info-Tech Research Group, Special to SearchCIO.com)
  The Project Management Office (PMO) can be an effective means for centralizing IT initiatives within organizations. Use a PMO to keep IT projects on track, on schedule, within budget, and in adherence to business strategies and goals.
• Project powerhouse (CIO Decisions magazine)
  A strong project management office can take an IT shop to the top. But a weak PMO can sink it -- quick.

Project Expert: Beware career cross-breeding

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[Michael Vinje and Michelle Burke, Contributors]

What do you get when you blend the responsibilities of a business analyst (BA) and those of a project manager (PM)? In short: a mess. In our practice, we frequently see this dangerous, though common, tendency to blend job assignments; it's an inclination that doesn't lead to successful project management.

Many companies wind up having one person perform both jobs because they don't understand the unique skill sets each role entails. Ideally your PM is a big-picture thinker, someone who likes to look at all the parts of the whole. This person excels at seeing how all the parts come together and craves control of the overall direction of a project.

A good BA, on the other hand, is detail-oriented to the max. He focuses on critical business functions, drills into stakeholder concerns like a laser and wants to answer specific questions. The BA doesn't worry about scheduling -- or costs, for that matter. Instead, a solid BA tears into product requirements and specifications to make sure that the business side gets what it asked for. Like a good investigative reporter, an effective BA leaves no stone unturned in the quest to ensure that each team member does what he's paid to do.

   Find out more in "Project Expert: Beware career cross-breeding." Also:

• Project Expert: From list maker to project manager (CIO Decisions magazine)
  Go beyond list making and note taking. Use the project management tools at your disposal.
• Project Expert: Why a new tool won't fix poor technique (CIO Decisions magazine)
  Don't rush headlong into buying software tools; they're just one piece of the puzzle.

Project portfolio management takes flight at Sabre

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[Linda Tucci, Senior News Writer]

At Sabre Holdings Corp., IT does not go by the name enabler, trusted partner or any other moniker du jour conferred on corporate IT. Information systems are the biz at the Southlake, Texas-based travel company. The Sabre reservation system is the booking system of choice for travel agencies worldwide. Travelocity.com LP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sabre, is the second-largest online travel agency in the U.S.

"Sabre is into travel in a big way, and we do it through the software, whether it is our own or someone else's," said Greg Bronson, director of portfolio management at the $2.8 billion company. Indeed, about one-third of Sabre's 9,000 people are involved in software development.

Bronson, a 21-year veteran who started at Sabre as a software developer, said that one of the many challenges in the volatile, competitive travel industry is making sure IT does what the market needs.

   Learn more in "Project portfolio management takes flight at Sabre." Also:

• With project portfolio management, city CIO saves big bucks (SearchSMB.com)
  CIO Tom Freeman used project portfolio management to save $650,000 and break down silos between city departments.
• Low-cost project management software hits midmarket (SearchCIO.com)
  Traditional licensed project portfolio management software offers too much iron for the midmarket. Emerging vendors offer a middle ground for companies with fewer requirements.

More resources

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• Resource center: IT project management
• Web site: Project Management Institute