IT value and project success are two different things. I cannot comment
on IT value because IT value in the absence of project success does not
exist. So let's talk about project success.
Projects fail when they are viewed as technology installation projects.
They always fail unless they are trivial. Replacing an accounts payable
system is trivial. A project that adds fundamental value to a business is
not about IT, it is about technology, about process change, and about
structure change. Therefore it is about change in a number of dimensions.
Projects that do not address process change and structural change _cannot_
succeed. We should not be surprised when they fail, they were doomed from
the beginning.
Projects that are about changing all three -- technology, process, and
structure -- have a chance of success. At least they have identified the
critical dimensions. Projects that are _defined_ and _viewed_ as IT
projects are guaranteed to fail. Unless they are trivial.
--Rol Fessenden LL Bean, Inc 76234,3636@compuserve.com
1. Challenge the process. 2. Inspire a shared vision. 3. Enable others to act. 4. Model the way. 5. Encourage the heart.
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>