Successful IT Project Delivery: Learning the Lessons of Project Failure

Rating:
Summary: Filled with insights and excellent advice
Review: Seasoned IT project managers will gain many insights from this book. Don't expect to find mechanical techniques such as how to develop a WBS or use earned value to control a project - those are not within the scope of this book. What is within scope is advice backed by cases and examples for keeping a project on track and within budget. While the techniques covering the mechanics of project management are missing, the techniques covering strategies and tactics for ensuring project success are in abundance.

What makes this book invaluable to seasoned IT project managers is the focus on organization, meeting stakeholder needs, and overcoming barriers - especially political barriers. In addition, the author approaches project delivery in a structured, methodical manner that places the role of an IT project manager and the task of project delivery into a clear context. Most books on project management either gloss over these important areas, focusing instead on PM techniques, or avoid them altogether.

Key features I especially like are:
- Section I (Preparing the Organization for IT Projects), which illustrates common problems associated with IT project management (and there are many) with actual cases. In addition, Chapter 2 is one of the best summaries of aligning IT to business during project inception and maintaining that focus throughout the life cycle of the project. The material in the subsequent chapters in this section go into additional detail in key areas.

- Section II (Planning for Success) is rich with advice and supporting real life examples for developing a viable business case, managing risks, avoiding common pitfalls and engaging stakeholders.

- Section III (Design and Development) contains material that is not unique to this book. Most of the material is included in most of the better books on software project management, although the case studies are interesting. I would have liked more focus in interaction between the project team and the operational support team, such as assuring reliability and supportability are handled in this phase. Also, addressing the big picture of how the design and development fits into infrastructure and service level management would have distinguished this section.

Section IV (Project Delivery) is somewhat weak because it stops with testing and does not address making the transition from project to production in the depth. This is a critical milestone in any IT project and deserves more than the cursory treatment it was given.

Although I think there are gaps in Section IV, this book is still one I highly recommend because it does address topics that most other IT project management books do not. More importantly, it is filled with excellent information and advice that can be put to immediate use, and will change your thinking about how to properly approach and manage an IT project.