BCS (Isle of Man): Implications for Project Management in an uncertain Island Economy

© Copyright Intelligence Limited 2009, reproduction with permission only

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Implications for Project Management in an uncertain Island Economy

Presentation to British Computer Society (Isle of Man Section)21st May 2009

Chris DaviesChief Operating Officer, Intelligence Ltd.



• Trading for 7 years on the Isle of Man• Specialise in

– Strategic Corporate Business Consultancy– Programme and Project Management– Technical innovation to directly support common SME business

processes though direct enablement and content management– Customer focussed IT Support

• Main Customer Sectors– Government– eGaming– Communications– Financial

Intelligence Ltd



Definition of a Project

• Projects are different from ‘business as usual’ activities because they have a number of distinguishing features: – they bring about change – projects may offer investment opportunities – they have unknown elements, therefore: – they create risk

• ‘Business as usual’ activities are recognisable because: – there are known policies, processes, procedures or

precedents which may be followed – there is virtually no risk (as opposed to the problems which

often occur in meeting deadlines etc) – the activities are not new, but repeated (albeit not

necessarily very frequently), therefore: – they do not offer change



What is Project Management?

• Business analysis• Planning• Contractual negotiation• Team recruitment & building• Organisation & delegation• Monitoring & reporting• Financial budgeting and control

• Procurement• Communications• Risk management• Quality Management• Change management• Relationship management



Project Manager Qualities

• Optimist• Has attention for detail• Innovator, problem solver• Risk manager• Diplomat• Motivator• Counsellor• Politician• Cynic• Human resource manager• Trained, qualified, experienced• Needs good sense of humour• Thick-skinned

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…You probably don’t understand the problem!

With apologies to Rudyard Kipling



Project Success Criteria

• Delivered within planned and permitted timescales• Delivered within the approved budget• Met customer and user expectations• Achieved acceptance by users• Delivered the expected business benefit

If projects do not succeed who is ultimately responsible?

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2009

Succeeded 16% 27% 26% 28% 34% 29% 32%

Failed 31% 40% 28% 23% 15% 18% 24%

Challenged 53% 33% 46% 49% 51% 53% 44%

Project outcome summary from the Standish CHAOS reports



Project Failures

Top ten reasons for project failure as identified by Tasmanian Government during 2008

1. Inadequately trained and/or inexperienced project managers

2. Failure to set and manage expectations

3. Poor leadership at any and all levels

4. Failure to adequately identify, document and track requirements

5. Poor plans and planning processes

6. Poor effort estimation

7. Cultural and ethical misalignment

8. Misalignment between the project team and the business or other organisation it serves

9. Inadequate or misused methods

10. Inadequate communication, including progress tracking and reporting



The Isle of Man

• Positive– Language and Culture– Size & Population– Infrastructure– Government assistance

• Grants• Consultancy• Marketing

• Negative– Transport– Skilled labour pool

• Work permits– Communications

• Customers• Suppliers• Team members

– Access to products and services



Economic Challenges

• Lack of credit available to customers, suppliers and implementers• Project types changes; more integration than implementation• Measurable business benefits more internally focussed• Volume of work reduces• Customers want things faster and cheaper• Scrutiny increases• Increasingly competitive environment• Isle of Man economic outlook



What uncertainty?

• Despite a challenging economy, seven out of 10 chief information officers (CIOs) in the US say their companies will invest in information technology initiatives in the next 12 months. Information security topped the list with 43 percent of the response, followed by virtualization (28 percent) and data centre efficiency (27 percent)



Conclusion

• The world has changed not ended– Be aware of the risks and manage them

• Lets use the opportunity provided– Review skills and capabilities– Use resources provided by Government and others– Maximise use of channels and technology – we are asking our customers to do

this!• The Isle of Man can be a springboard and not a hindrance• Project Management

– The times create a need for strong PM not diminish it



And finally…