Strategic-level (PMOs), also known as enterprise project management offices, are essential in developing, maintaining and communicating effective project, program and portfolio practices. Having a solid company-wide strategic plan provides the blueprint that all PMO initiatives should align with and be measured against. Unfortunately, only 41 percent of strategic PMOs have a high level of alignment…
CIO Sue Workman’s to-do list grows longer and more diverse every year. A string of strategic initiatives under way at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio where she works has her straddling both operational and transformational IT responsibilities. “I really do try to stay in the strategic,” she says. “I have the direct report staff…
I’ve spent the last six months talking with CIOs about what “digital” means to their companies. When I asked Vijay Sankaran, CIO of TD Ameritrade, that same question, he said, “Forget about digital. Ask me about Digital 2.0.” In this interview, Sankaran differentiates Digital 1.0 from 2.0 and offers advice to CIOs looking to move…
Behind every successful IT project, you’ll find a highly skilled project manager. From hardware and software upgrades to ongoing security patches, to application development and the rollout of software itself, project managers keep your teams on task and productive. Almost any IT pro can benefit from adding a project management certification to their list of…
Most of you have heard the phrase that 90% of the manufacturing cost of a product is determined during product design. The same can be said about the program execution risk profile of IT-enabled transformations. The master statement of work (MSOW) established at the beginning of the program locks in 90% of the risk profile…
Companies that depend on vast supply chains to produce their wares tend to work with hundreds or even thousands of partners, many of which require an online portal — or several — with which to share information. Flex, the $26 billion supply chain technology company formerly known as Flextronics, is no exception. That presented a…
W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer in applying statistical techniques and predictive analytics to business processes, said it best. “The big problems,” he observed, “are where people don’t realize they have one in the first place.” When it comes to predictive analytics, “big problems” are often not apparent during planning and early deployment, becoming a concern…
Structuring an enterprise and/or a business architecture model without measuring any of its key elements is a waste of time. It’s critical to any architecture model to have key performance indicators (KPIs) in place – and these strategic and tactical measurements should not be limited to IT. It’s also helpful to understand the sources of…
Building an outstanding tech team starts with hiring well. And in a competitive environment, sometimes that means hiring away top IT talent from other firms. But if you’re not Google, Facebook or a blisteringly hot startup, how do you compete for standout candidates? To find out, we talked with tech pros who’ve hired well for…
Name: Alastair Pooley Company: Snow Software Job title: CIO Time in current role: 5 months Location: Bracknell, UK Alastair Pooley was appointed CIO of Snow Software in January of this year, taking responsibility for global IT strategy and implementation. Prior to his role at Snow, Pooley spent five years at multinational security company Sophos, where…