IT Success!

Michael Gentle has over 25 years of experience in IT departments, consulting companies and software vendors in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. He brings a refreshingly new angle to an old problem - and directly challenges both IT professionals and business executives to think differently about how to achieve IT success. www.michaelgentle.com

• Introduction ixAcknowledgements xiiiAbbreviations xviiPart I Blinded by Specs 11 In Search of the Fundamentals 3The more things change, the more they stay the same 3A worldwide phenomenon 4How the traditional IT model started 5The construction industry trap 6The free lunch trap 7Houses of ill repute 8A business problem rather than an IT problem 10IT and original sin 12No sacred cows 122 IT 101 – The Basics for Non-Specialists 15The process breakdown for traditional IT activities 15The process breakdown for business (i.e non-IT) activities 16The fundamental difference between IT and non-IT activities 18'That's not my problem!' – process ownership and behaviour 193 The Flaws of the Traditional Model 21The unintended consequences of the waterfall method 21In search of a pizza parlour manager 22Who provides process expertise – client or vendor? 22When standard client–vendor relationships are possible 24When standard client–vendor relationships pose problems 25Is a standard client–vendor relationship possible for IT? 26The 'Statement of Requirements' (SoR) trap 26A poor to non-existent pricing model 28Should IT be run like a business (i.e an ESP)? 30The limits of outsourcing 31Current IT organizational trends 32The ultimate litmus test to determine one's business model 33What model would be appropriate for IT? 34Part II Building a New Business Model for It 354 Managing Demand 37Managing demand – traditional model 37Managing demand – new model 39Capturing demand and identifying opportunities 41Prioritizing and approving demand 43Planning approved demand 49Linking demand to resource capability 49Approving demand based on portfolios 50The missing component in Project Portfolio Management 53Business cases are in the eye of the beholder 54Building the IT plan and budget 55Demand from a customer perspective 56Shaking off the chains of the construction industry 56Funding approved demand 58Roles and responsibilities 595 Managing Supply 61Managing supply - traditional model 61Managing supply - new model 63Iterative development in practice 65Why prototyping has never become mainstream 74Is prototyping the answer to everything? 78Project critical success factors 79Maintenance - letting go of the M-word 79Delivery and implementation 81Service and support 816 Monitoring Costs and Benefits 83Monitoring costs and benefits for traditional IT activities 83Monitoring costs and benefits for business (non-IT) activities 84Monitoring costs and benefits – new model 85Ownership and accountability for costs and benefits 86Cost–benefit analysis during the life of a project 87It is normal for costs and benefits to change! 88Portfolio performance monitoring 88Cost–benefit analysis after project delivery 897 Financials 91The main categories of IT costs 91Ownership of IT costs for the regulation of supply and demand 92Who has the final say for IT investments? 92Allocations vs cross-charging 93Capturing costs for allocations and cross-charging 94Benefits as part of the P&L and annual planning 95Ongoing cost–benefit analysis for applications 96Reducing application lifetime costs 100The limits of financial ROI when applied to IT 102Part III the New Model in Practice 1058 Players, Roles and Responsibilities 107Players, roles and responsibilities – the business 107Players, roles and responsibilities – IT 111The new business–IT relationship 112The changing role of the business analyst 113The changing role of the developer 113Towards the merging of the developer and analyst roles? 114The changing role of the project manager 115The changing role of the operations department 116What role for PMOs? 117The role of External Service Providers (ESPs) 1199 Getting Started 121The business challenge 121The IT challenge 122Where to start 123How to start – from checklist to action plan 124From the status quo to first results 128From first results to asset management 133The role of best-practice methodologies 136How consulting companies can help 138How tools can help 139The costs of moving to the new model 140In closing – addressing the three fundamental questions 142Further reading 14310 Case Study 145The company 145The business problem 146The project context 146Building an IT–business partnership 147Kicking off the project 148Feasibility study and defining a solution 149Building the business case 150Project approach 151Product evaluation – buy or build decision 151Building a prototype 152Results 154Timescales 155Three months later 155One year later 156Two years later 156Main lessons learnt (on the plus side) 156Main lessons learnt (on the minus side) 157Comments with respect to the new model 157Reader feedback 158Index 159

"...a clever synthesis of enlightened IT project management thinking over the last few years."  (Financial Times, Wednesday 21st November 2007)