Back to Basics

Computerworld - Legions of dot-coms have collapsed, companies across the U.S. are laying off workers, and the economy remains in a sinkhole. It's against that backdrop that some sanity appears to be returning to IT project management.

Gone are the days of bottomless-pit project funding and caffeine-pumped software developers sequestered off-site and working around the clock to be first to market with a glitzy Web site.

Instead, experts say, economic pressures have prompted IT departments to return to traditional, hands-on "block-and-tackle" project management, with a heavy emphasis on things like strict budgeting, daily progress reports, continual user feedback and codified processes and methodologies.

"There's been a fundamental shift," says Bob Wourms, director of the IT practice at PM Solutions, a project management consulting firm in Havertown, Pa. "A couple of years ago, time to market and market share were very critical. The focus now is on what is profitable."

Experienced project leaders who have recently produced profitable projects on time and on budget attribute a good part of their success to dusting off and putting in place certain project management chestnuts, such as securing visible and active executive support for an endeavor early on. But along the way, they've also developed a few best-practice rules to keep their projects not only on track but in the black as well. Here's how they've done it.

Stick to the Goal, But Know When You're Done

Top 10 Reasons For Project Success 1 Executive support 2 End-user involvement 3 Experienced project manager 4 Clear business objectives 5 Minimized scope 6 Standard infrastructure 7 Firm basic requirements 8 Formal methodology 9 Reliable estimates 10 Skilled staff Source: The Standish Group International Inc., Dennis, Mass.

This was a key challenge for Jann Davis, manager of Project Discovery, a $10 million customer service and call center initiative at PacifiCorp, a Portland, Ore.-based electric utility with 1.5 million customers.

One of the goals of the 18-month project, which involved implementing a new Web-based billing system and automating many call center activities, was for PacifiCorp's 325 call center agents to handle 80% of incoming calls in less than 20 seconds. This entailed scripting different responses that would pop up on an operator's computer screen, depending on the type of call request that came into the company's two call centers.

"The problem was keeping the team to the 80/20 rule," Davis says, noting that certain team members wanted to script responses for the rarest types of customer issues. "I had to keep pointing out the goals of the project. We didn't need a Ferrari."