IT Success! Towards a New Model for Information Technology - Softcover

Gentle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470724013 ISBN 13: 9780470724019

Publisher: Wiley, 2007

Synopsis

“Fifty years after the birth of corporate computing, IT today is still characterized by 50-70% project failure rates. Which is pretty scary when you come to think of it: either a goblin has cast a spell on a whole profession – or that profession is doing something fundamentally wrong”.

IT Success! challenges the widespread assumption that an IT department is like a building contractor whose project managers, architects and engineers (all construction industry terms…) are supposed to deliver systems on schedule, within budget and to spec. Michael Gentle explains why this is not possible, and turns conventional wisdom on its head by showing that: 

• you cannot define an IT project in terms of contractual budgets and schedules
• anything can change during the life of a project
• what is eventually delivered can never be what is actually needed

He proposes a new model for IT in which the traditional client/vendor relationship, with its contractual commitments, is replaced by a shared risk/reward partnership geared towards workable results over time. Using real-world examples and a case study, the author walks you through the end-to-end processes of an IT department, covering subjects like demand management, investment planning, agile development and managing production applications.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Gentle has over 25 years of experience in IT departments, consulting companies and software vendors in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. He brings a refreshingly new angle to an old problem - and directly challenges both IT professionals and business executives to think differently about how to achieve IT success.

www.michaelgentle.com

From the Back Cover

IT /Programming /Software Development

"FIFTY YEARS AFTER THE BIRTH OF CORPORATE COMPUTING, IT TODAY IS STILL CHARACTERIZED BY 50-70% PROJECT FAILURE RATES. WHICH IS PRETTY SCARY WHEN YOU COME TO THINK OF IT: EITHER A GOBLIN HAS CAST A SPELL ON A WHOLE PROFESSION OR THAT PROFESSION IS DOING SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG".

IT Success! challenges the widespread assumption that an IT department is like a building contractor whose project managers, architects and engineers (all construction industry terms…) are supposed to deliver systems on schedule, within budget and to spec. Michael Gentle explains why this is not possible, and turns conventional wisdom on its head by showing that:

• you cannot define an IT project in terms of contractual budgets and schedules
• anything can change during the life of a project
• what is eventually delivered can never be what is actually needed

He proposes a new model for IT in which the traditional client/ vendor relationship, with its contractual commitments, is replaced by a shared risk/reward partnership geared towards workable results over time. Using real-world examples and a case study, the author walks you through the end-to-end processes of an IT department, covering subjects like demand management, investment planning, agile development and managing production applications.

From the Inside Flap

IT /Programming /Software Development

"FIFTY YEARS AFTER THE BIRTH OF CORPORATE COMPUTING, IT TODAY IS STILL CHARACTERIZED BY 50-70% PROJECT FAILURE RATES. WHICH IS PRETTY SCARY WHEN YOU COME TO THINK OF IT: EITHER A GOBLIN HAS CAST A SPELL ON A WHOLE PROFESSION – OR THAT PROFESSION IS DOING SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG".

IT Success! challenges the widespread assumption that an IT department is like a building contractor whose project managers, architects and engineers (all construction industry terms…) are supposed to deliver systems on schedule, within budget and to spec. Michael Gentle explains why this is not possible, and turns conventional wisdom on its head by showing that:

• you cannot define an IT project in terms of contractual budgets and schedules
• anything can change during the life of a project
• what is eventually delivered can never be what is actually needed

He proposes a new model for IT in which the traditional client/ vendor relationship, with its contractual commitments, is replaced by a shared risk/reward partnership geared towards workable results over time. Using real-world examples and a case study, the author walks you through the end-to-end processes of an IT department, covering subjects like demand management, investment planning, agile development and managing production applications.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470724013
• ISBN 13: 9780470724019
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 182