Effective I.T. Alignment

This is a link to a summary of the original MIT Sloan article:

Avoiding the Alignment Trap in Information Technology.

By: David Shpilberg, Steve Berez, Rudy Puryear and Sachin Shah



http://www.bain.com/bainweb/Publications/newsletter_detail.asp?id=26136&menu_url=newsletters.asp




This article addresses the idea that before I.T. can truly align with the business goals they must become effective with where they are currently. The “trap” happens when the I.T. group is highly aligned with the business and not very effective at producing desired deliverables. It is important to note the order of these two: Effectiveness comes first and alignment comes second. Here are some additional thoughts I have from this article:


The article does not address the leadership required to develop and increase the effectiveness of the I.T. department. I believe a change agent from within the I.T. department must develop compelling reasons to move from the maintenance philosophy to a “well-oiled” strategy (see four square chart in article). The hardened culture in a maintenance driven I.T. department is difficult to change because the priorities are to keep the business running. Anything beyond that is viewed as superfluous and in the way of supporting the business. This change must be driven from within the I.T. department. An element of excitement and focus needs to be ignited around a common vision that will push the team to a better place than where it is currently. It takes a strong leader to paint a clear path to the future state of operation and change the culture to focus on business alignment.



Once the I.T. department is effectively implementing projects, there must be a realization by the business that investment in the stale, aged I.T. infrastructure is required. Most business divisions are looking for quick returns. In the case of I.T. infrastructure, the returns may not be seen for several years. This poses a difficult choice for business units.



There will be a point in the business evolution that growth will stop because the infrastructure cannot keep up with the demands of the business. In as much as the internal I.T. culture must change, the business must re-image the I.T. department as a partner worth investing in. This re-imaging will become a synergistic pull that will add to the I.T. department’s push. The process will accelerate and the returns will happen faster than expected thus prompting more infrastructure investment. It is this push/pull/invest cycle that will turn the maintenance culture into one of innovation that adds true value to the business. In the end, the whole corporation wins when there is effective alignment of I.T. with the needs of the business.

The Best Part... Project Closure

Oddly enough Project Closure is my favorite phase in project management. I like it because it is the formal transition of the work from creation to production. Closure is the acknowledgement that something new and unique now exists. This is the place where the emotions that built up during the project are released and the team can survey their success. Or in the case of a failed project, closure is the formal understanding by the team and all of the stakeholders that the effort is over and it is time to leverage the lessons learned and move forward.

For me closure is personal, quiet and introspective where my heart smiles at the success of the team or I study the issues around failure so I do not repeat them.

Preparation + Opportunity = Luck

I believe luck happens when preparation intersects opportunity. We call it luck because we do not know when this intersection will happen. Powerful and magical things happen when you are ready to handle events that cross your path.

• Someone who has prepared their life saving skills by learning CPR has the powerful opportunity to act in a crisis.

• Someone who prepares, develops skills or acquires new knowledge can act on career opportunities when they are presented.
  

So do you want to “Change your luck?”

Then start preparing and growing and learning. Opportunities may be facing you right now that you cannot see. They are unseen because you are not prepared to accept what is ahead. A new skill or new piece of knowledge may open your vision to see the intersection. It is like aligning the rain and the light to see a rainbow. What a lucky thing!

So start preparing. Watch out for opportunities in your life. Your preparations will open your eyes to places where your knowledge and skills can be applied. You will start finding the opportunities and opportunities will keep finding YOU!

So you want to be a Project Manager

This blog posting was originally composed in a Project Management Case Studies class. We discussed the qualifications of a Project Manager and how to become a PM. After some thought this was my response posted on the class discussion board.

* * * * *

The discussion in class about how to become a PM was very good. I am sorry if I was not much help. Maybe I can color in a few things here.

The skills of a PM are part art and part science.

The art part includes things like people skills, intuition, leadership, communication skills, psychologist and Den Mom. Being able to diffuse a project crisis with in the team or between stakeholders. Building relationships of trust across functional areas and with in the project team. These are the soft skills.

The science of being a project manager involves the technical “stuff” in the PMBOK: Making a Gantt chart and knowing how to use it in a project. Calculating CV, SV, CPI and SPI (PMBOK page173 – 174). Being able to identify scope creep and stopping it. Building budgets and resource plans. Being able to negotiate with vendors for material and resources. These are the technical skills.

Then there is the passion for the practice of Project Management. You have got to love it and breathe it in all you do, work and home. You have got to love taking the risk of being project owner/leader. You crave walking the line between the terror of failure and the exhilaration of success. You are willing to take a public bullet for the team and then step out of the spot light when your team pulls it off in the extra mile. You learn from failure and celebrate success. You always desire to become better and raise people up in the process.

This is the art and science of Project Management in my view. So… You still want to be a Project Manager? How do you make it happen…?

You just do it. Every project around the house use something new from the PMBOK. Judge your performance by the number of trips you make to Home Depot before your project is complete. Do PM at work. Write a brief scope statement for the latest assignment the boss gives you. Make a WBS and build a time line. Then follow it. Calculate where you actually are relative to the plan. Make adjustments. Learn the technical “stuff” of PM.

Be around senior Project Managers. Watch them in meetings, deconstruct their communications. Ask questions. Work into a PM position starting as a Project Coordinator. Become a member of PMI and volunteer to run a project for the chapter. (This is where I saw great project management modeled.) Set the goal of becoming a Certified Project Manager (PMP). Get project management input through books, magazines and the web:

Cornelius Ficthner has a podcast titled “Episode 62: How Can I become a Project Manager.” This link should get you to the podcast:
http://www.thepmpodcast.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=109&Itemid=9

Thomas Cutting writes a wonderful blog of PM lessons learned and techniques that are beneficial to him:
http://www.cuttingsedge.com/

I believe luck happens when preparation intersects opportunity. So start preparing and watch out for opportunities to be a project manager. Your preparations will open your eyes to places where the science can be applied. And as you apply the science you will improve your “artistic” skills of managing projects.

Go for it!