Why Engage with an External IT Program Manager

Why Engage with an External IT Program Manager

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The history of IT project implementation prove that even the most capable IT leaders can fail because the pace of change is more than what they can handle. At the beginning of this century, one in six projects cost more than 200% of the estimated amount and about 70% of all IT projects faced project delays. Not much has changed two decades later – recent research shows that 70% of digital transformation initiatives fall short of their objectives.

In the past, the formula was to hire expensive project teams that were managed by the integrator’s external staff. Escalating costs led to a change in strategy in favor of hiring project resources supervised by internal managers. Yet, while the approach to IT project deployments has undergone major shifts, the outcomes haven’t improved.

Organizations face the same hurdles:

·????? scope creep and mid-project changes;

·????? lack of communication among cross-functional teams;

·????? lack of clearly defined goals, unrealistic deadlines, absence of accountability;

·????? inadequate risk management;

·????? budget issues;

·????? shortage of project management practices and talent;

·????? insufficient skills of team members.

One of the techniques to mitigate some of these impediments is by working with a Project Manager who uses the proper project management tools and frameworks. In our long experience delivering IT projects on-time and on-budget, we have also learned that a lot of problems can be eliminated from the start by rigorously selecting who you put at the helm.

We call this person an IT Program Manager. An IT Program Manager has the technical expertise, the soft skills, and the vision to steer the project in the right direction and execute it successfully within the allotted time, budget, and resources.

We want to make it clear that for the successful roll-out of any strategic IT initiative both a Program Manager and a Project Manager are necessary. What distinguishes the two roles is the scope of their reach.

A Program Manager takes the long view of a company initiative and plans how to implement an overarching vision. Sometimes, an IT Program Manager can oversee several projects to achieve efficiencies of scale. A Project Manager, by contrast, takes the short view and focuses on carrying out specific activities that drive a specific program forward.

An analogy from film making provides the distinction between the two roles: program managers are much like movie directors in that they are the masterminds of a film from concept till final credits. Project managers, on the other hand, are similar to the film crew. They ensure all the components that go into making a movie — camerawork, set design, script, casting, etc. — are present. In the end, when the aligned efforts of a program manager and a project manager conclude a successful program, we have the business equivalent of a blockbuster movie.

Given the current economic reality and tech talent shortage globally, most organizations do not have such a resource available to them internally. Moreover, the process of hiring such talent can be both costly and lengthy. But in today’s business environment where contingent workforce has become the new normal, there are a lot of experienced IT program managers who are knowledgeable, available, and willing to work on contract.?

There are some of great benefits an external IT Program Manager can deliver to your organization:

·????? An IT Program Manager can play a critical role at the planning stage of defining an IT projectbased on your company’s most pressing needs and overall growth strategy. Usually, this person will possess a skill set that includes not only product know-how and pertinent experience, but also the memory of lessons learned and gotchas that accumulate from spearheading similar projects in the course of their career. Steering you away from what NOT to do can sometimes be even more valuable, as it can protect your organization from serious pitfalls, keep you on track with the budget, and save you a lot of headaches.

·????? An experienced IT Program Manager can spot roadblocks and counteract adequately in a timely manner. They can also define and clarify the activities of every team member from the start, thus avoiding frustrating conflicts due to miscommunication during the project implementation.

·????? Another implicit benefit you get by engaging with an outside expert to oversee your IT project is access to their vast network. This in turn will immediately mitigate or even fully eliminate another characteristic obstacle that hinders the successful implementation of complex IT projects - talent shortage.

·????? In scenarios where the IT project is tied to a transformational change initiative, a trusted external advisor with a breadth of expertise in charge will add weight and overcome internal resistance.

·????? In addition, working side by side with an expert will allow the internal team to acquire knowledge and skills they would not have attained otherwise and which they can apply in future endeavors. The knowledge transfer that contract professionals at the management level bring to organizations is an advantage that often remains overlooked.

If you are a growing business, a larger organization with multiple ongoing IT projects, or if your business processes need to be streamlined and optimized, having in place an IT Program Manager solely dedicated to these tasks is essential.

Rather than burdening your internal managers with more responsibilities on top of their day-to-day duties, it might be wise to hire contract management staff to operate these programs. A seasoned IT program manager will ensure that your technology programs stay on track and achieve the business results you invested in without the traditional pitfalls that hinder IT project deployments.

At iShift, we have a solid team of talented program managers who have managed multiple projects and operations across industries in companies of various sizes. They understand that a successfully executed IT project is about building the capability AND operating it in the long run.

In one of our recent engagements, the client hired us as much to plan their migration to the cloud as to design their operating model after the migration was complete. If you are thinking of starting a transformational IT project or you are already in the middle of one and want to make sure it gets done right the first time, let’s talk.

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