The essentials of project management in under 500 words
What’s wrong with complexity?
March 19, 2013
We tend to design things that are complex, and that can be our undoing.
Technical debt and causes of software instability
February 7, 2013
“Technical debt” refers to releasing software products that have significant bugs in them. The cost of removing the bugs after release must be paid if the software is to survive in the long run. So the concept is similar to financial debt: the longer you leave it unpaid, the more you must pay in compound […]
When you need IT advice
September 25, 2012
When you ask for advice from an IT specialist, often the response is too technical, too closely tied to a commercial product, or simply off the mark because the underlying problems are management problems. Who can you turn to for useful and practical advice?
Eliminate your IT department?
September 10, 2012
Cloud-based services are transforming business IT in major ways. What does this mean for structure and mission of the enterprise’s IT department? Is there anything left that can’t be done by the cloud and by cloud service vendors?
What generates energy for your team?
June 25, 2012
How do you evaluate how well a team is functioning? A key indicator is energy. Energy is a quality of the interactions going on in the room the team is working in, a quality that you feel when you’re in the room with them. There are a variety of types of energy. A team may […]
Risk Management in IT
April 25, 2012
Risk management is a key area for financial leaders. When we look at IT development projects, we’re usually focused on opportunities rather than risks. But IT investments have risks beyond security and privacy issues. Project failure can lead to losses even beyond the intended investment. Here are seven ways to look at IT development projects from a risk management point of view.
Trust, truth and talking things through
April 10, 2012
Collaboration thrives on trust, truth and a willingness to talk things through. When these elements are present for people in a team or in a department, those people take responsibility, use their authority wisely, and develop a climate of openness.
It’s actually easier to do the right thing
March 26, 2012
The right thing is to plan, organize and execute with long-term results in mind. But nearly every manager is so driven by short-term metrics that they fail to account for longer-term effects of their decisions and actions. As a result, they accomplish less for themselves and for their organizations, making them less effective and less […]