The track record of IT projects is poor. Less than a third of IT projects deliver what they said they would, on schedule and on budget. The major cause of IT project failure is not, as you might expect, poor IT leadership or difficult technology but poor business leadership. One of the reasons for this is that, unlike their IT peers, business managers often get little training or education in project delivery, let alone the special case represented by an IT project. Business Leadership for IT Projects addresses the gap by providing tools and ideas that are applicable to all sizes of IT projects, from those in large multinational corporations, down to small growing businesses. It sets out the key project touchpoints where business leadership can have a major impact on project success. The book combines psychological research and project best practice to create a practical toolbox that can be dipped into, as needs arise, or followed as an overall approach to IT project leadership. The toolbox weaves together three key strands of thought. First, that the concept of value should be at the forefront of project design and delivery. Second, that business managers need to take active leadership of IT projects to secure value. Third, that project teams need tools to slow down their thinking and ensure that actions and decisions are well thought through.
Biography
Gary Lloyd is a programme and project management specialist who helps organisations and individuals to deliver value from their projects and programmes through: consultancy, mentoring, coaching, training and project assurance. His aim is to work with clients to both lower project risk and to develop organisational and individual delivery capability. He has been helping businesses to deliver IT enabled change for over 20 years. His roles have ranged from being the business leader who drives the change, through to being a trusted advisor to CEO's and COO's, helping them to get value from their projects, programmes and ventures. Gary has worked across a variety of countries and cultures that include various European countries, Japan, India, Hong Kong and the USA.
’Gary Lloyd has a massive amount of experience in successfully managing business projects of all sizes, many very large, all with a high degree of IT content. In this book he puts that experience in an easy to read style. Read it and it will help you avoid the pitfalls of IT projects.’ Geoff Williams, former Head of Major Programme Management at NatWest Bank, UK ’IT project failures are legion. Many point at their IT department as the problem. The inconvenient truth is that these are business failures, not IT. Mr Lloyd equips the businessman with the tools to decide if a business project is required and then to lead it either to a successful outcome or to an early, unmourned death, if it so deserves.’ John Samuel, former Head of Technology, Herbert Smith LLP, UK ’I would urge anyone who works within the supply chain for IT projects to read this book. Whilst it could be deemed by some to be a dry topic, Gary brings IT Project Management to life and makes it relevant for me and my business. My approach to projects internally and externally has changed, for the better, thanks to this insightful read.’ Philip Fanthom, Managing Director, Jenrick, UK '... well written, with a structure that makes it easy to read through, or to find a section relevant to the particular needs of the moment. ... easier to read than many other similar books on the topic, and it has a number of useful bullet point lists to allow the reader to absorb the key points more quickly. A solid piece of work, offering good counsel on effective project management ...’ The British Computer Society, October 2013 ’The book proves to be a good read focusing more on practical business leadership than theoretical project management. It makes one believe that every fact is a fact as the author gives evidence of statistical data for every statement he makes. This is a rarity in management books where usually the ideas alone are just quoted from other books. Every chapter in the book is
