Troubled IT Projects: Prevention and turnaround

by John M. Smith

Overview

Many IT projects are doomed before the ink is dry on the contract. In this highly readable book, John Smith sets out the 40 root causes of troubled IT projects and explains how these can be avoided at each stage of the project life cycle.

The coverage of opportunity management, solution generation and proposal preparation will help IT services Vendors increase sales and Buyers become more effective at proposal evaluation. A proven approach to reviewing projects in delivery is presented to ensure that projects stay on track.

The book goes on to describe an approach to 'turning around' a troubled project. Key to this - and a theme throughout the book - is the achievement of a high level of engagement and trust between Vendor and Buyer.

Illustrated with real-life examples, key questions, and checklists, this practical handbook, is for buyers and sellers of IT services - for project sponsors, stakeholders, project managers, QA professionals and 'troubleshooters' - who want to maximise the success of their projects, their careers and their organizations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780852961049
Publisher:	The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Publication date:	11/29/2001
Series:	Computing and Networks
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

John Smith joined IBM in 1996 as a principal IT consultant and currently specializes in auditing projects in delivery. He began his professional career as an avionics systems engineer before studying for a MSc in Computer Science. He then managed several information system projects with the Raytheon Corporation and established a group of 150 consultants working on a number of high-profile assignments. At KPMG he spent four years undertaking a variety of strategic consulting assignments and managing the largest application development project undertaken by KPMG in the UK. He is a Fellow of both the British Computer Society and the Institution of Engineering and Technology and has published many articles on information technology and project management.

Table of Contents

• Part 1: Why projects fail
• Chapter 1: What is a Troubled Project?
• Chapter 2: Root Causes of Troubled Projects
• Chapter 3: A Troubled Project Case Study - The SS Great Eastern
• Part 2: Preventing troubled projects at the planning stage
• Chapter 4: A Professional Services Sales Primer
• Chapter 5: Opportunity Qualification and Selection
• Chapter 6: Engaging the Potential Buyer and Bid Planning
• Chapter 7: Shaping the Solution
• Chapter 8: Defining and Refining the Solution
• Chapter 9: Project Estimating, Planning, Contract Negotiation and Pricing
• Chapter 10: Managing Quality and Risk
• Part 3: Reviewing troubled projects in delivery
• Chapter 11: Writing and Presenting the Proposal
• Chapter 12: Project Delivery Reviews
• Chapter 13: Review Planning and Preparation
• Chapter 14: Conducting the Review and Preparing the Report
• Chapter 15: Requirements and Design Baselines
• Chapter 16: Project Planning and Progress Against Plans
• Chapter 17: The Development Life Cycle
• Chapter 18: Project Organisation
• Chapter 19: Project Management System
• Part 4: Project turnaround and organisational learning
• Chapter 20: Turning Around a Troubled Project
• Chapter 21: Individual and Organisational Learning

Editorial Reviews

'Smith takes the reader through every stage of the process, pointing out pitfalls and suggesting tactics as you go.'

Computing

After a career as practitioner and now consultant in information technology, Smith has noticed recurring reasons for the outright failure or, more commonly, the lingering ill health of a project that bleeds both vender and buyer white. First he sets out the 40 most common underlying problems, then describes ways to avoid them. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR