The Magic Software Blog

How to Avoid IT Project Failure - US Seminar - November 10th, 12th.

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60% of companies in a recent AIG Consulting poll were found to suffer from marginally successful technology projects or outright project failures.

A full half of this number experienced project ‘runaways' which take too long to deliver, consume too much budget, or under-deliver on functionality.

The Get IT together seminar is designed specifically to address the problems that lead to IT project failure.

How? By helping organizations to optimize their software systems and IT departments to better deliver business results.

Attendees can expect to learn:

• How to align IT department objectives with your overall business goals
• How to better streamline the application development process 
• How to more effectively deliver IT projects
• How to get your business applications working together
• How to ensure your current goals answer future business needs

If you are a CEO, CIO or IT manager these issues should already be sounding alarm bells in your head.

To find out more about seminar sessions topics and times, speakers and locations, visit the Get IT together website.

To secure an invitation online register or contact Glenn Johnson direct on +1 949 250 1718 or email glenn_johnson@magicsoftware.com.

CIO Strategies for 2H 2009 - Get Closer to Business

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It's clear that CIO's are facing tough challenges as we move into the second half of 2009. One thing that's clear is that CIOs will need to broaden their focus in order to maintain IT efficiencies in an environment of tight IT budgets.

What's interesting from Dave Aron's Gartner analysis is that 2 of the points he raised involve CIO's having to get closer to the 'business' side of their company's operations. He mentions in particular the following key words:

1. 'Strategy' - especially in economic downtimes it's important that strategy is clearly defined and articulated.
2. 'Relationships' - CIOs need to forge a better understanding of what makes business planners and CEOs tick - so they can better complement the needs of formal governance.

In previous posts we've discussed in depth the advantage of metadata-driven application platforms and their implications for more closely aligning CIOs and business.

In our white paper we define the metadata concept like this:

"A ‘metadata engine' is a ready-made business application engine containing pre-written technical and administrative functions and services.  It enables you to bypass the intensive technical code-writing stage of application development and move quickly and efficiently to deployment."

So how does this metadata help answer points 1 and 2 above?

• It enables CIOs to focus more on business functionality and less on coding. This answers point 1 - 'strategy'
• It's simplicity allows business users to get more involved in the CIO's thought process. This answers point 2 - 'relationships'

Metadata driven application platforms also enable faster prototyping, more interactive development cycles (with more business feedback to ensure IT is meeting strategy), less code deficiencies, and a better exchange of information both within development teams and between development and business teams.

CIO Tips: Creating Conditions for IT Project Success

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Nice blog posting and recorded discussion on the steps CIOs can take to create the conditions for IT project success.  

Lo and behold, they mention that: "Significant among these is working with other business leaders to ensure that IT executes according to the needs and priorities of business stakeholders. Although this seems an obvious point, continued high rates of project failure suggest it remains an area of serious deficiency in many organizations."

Sounds familiar somehow. This is now our most downloaded white paper - I believe mainly because it explains the concept behind metadata platforms and how it can help to align the objectives of business with the tools and skills of CIOs to ensure speedy and effective IT project delivery.