Project Management is a Crucial part of Information Technology Implementation

A recent report on the technological trends for organisations showed that project management rates as one the top priorities for IT leaders.

This is not surprising as Information technology projects have increased in complexity. This is because ICT increasingly impinges all aspects of an organisation’s activities.

Wherever information is found, it seems that now there is  always a  requirement to store, process and interface it electronically. The increasing number of technologies available to gather this information from conventional data entry through advanced scanning and biometrics has undoubtedly improved organisational efficiency.  Also the availability of mobile applications and the Cloud is revolutionising the way organisations work and interact. It is inevitable therefore that any ICT project nowadays will encompass a wide scope of technical requirements and range of skills. The role of the project manager is vital in coordinating these implementation activities. A good ICT project manager must have a high level of technical expertise to appreciate what is possible and more importantly practicable. While also being a generalist the PM must be able to gauge accurately the technical capabilities of the project team. It's likely that ICT projects involve internal and external stakeholders and suppliers. At times the goals and objectives of these various parties will differ. The clear responsibility of the project manager is to recognise these tensions and provide options and recommendations for the executive to ameliorate these issues. Of course excellent communication skills are vital to converse and interact effectively with users, the executive and technical teams. While the project manager is neither a bureaucrat nor a technocrat, they must be mindful of both the organisational and technical requirements of a project.

I have found that a structured project management method such as Prince2 is invaluable in helping a project stay on track and reach a successful conclusion. It is a methodology that aids the project manager to plan, delegate monitor and control all aspects of a project.

Denis O’Hara Consultancy Services provides a full project management service. For more information follow this link to the project management page.  

Reference ZDNET technology report