Unit 8

The topic of this week's lovely readings was project management, strategic planning, etc. It seemed like I was back in management class this week. By the way, that was my least favorite class by far. In Michael Stephens article, Technoplans vs. Technolust, the term "living document" is used. That term really stuck out to me because any kind of plan, whether it be technology, strategic, safety, etc., needs to be ever-evolving so accommodate any changes and/or additions. Stephens also mentioned how important communication and staff buy-in are to implementing any sort of company plan. If the staff are kept in the dark about everything relating to the plan, there just may be a mutiny once it's unveiled.

Another term that was new to me is "environmental scanning," the topic of Environmental Scanning and the Public Library by Don Sager. In his article, Sager says that environmental scanning is akin to community study planning methodology. It sounds like a very viable way of creating a plan. It is imperative to look outside of oneself and the company at large to see what elements in the surrounding community may be impacting or will impact a technology or strategic plan. Sager advises readers to use environmental planning within the varied levels of an organization, not just for the whole kit and caboodle.

Information Technology Plans, by Robert E. Dugan, mapped out step by step how one would go about creating a strategic/technology plan. It was helpful to see how all of the necessary pieces are able to fit together in the end. In What went wrong? Unsuccessful information technology projects by Brenda Whittaker, she reveals the three most often reasons for planning failures. These include 1) poor project planning, 2) a weak business case, and 3) lack of top management involvement and support. Whittaker also enlightened me to the correlation between running over budget and running over time. According to her, "There is a correlation between schedule and budget overrun. However, this correlation is much stronger in cases with budget overruns, than in cases with schedule overruns. A serious (greater than 50 percent) budget overrun meant a serious (greater than 50 percent) schedule overrun as well in 91 percent of cases. But the reverse is not usually true; most of those projects with serious schedule overruns did not have a serious budget overrun as well."

Overall the readings were informative, and enjoyable, this week. Even though some of the material seemed to repeat what I learned in my management class, it is always good to have a refresher.