For CIOs

Role Descriptions For The Office Of The CIO

Key Roles Support The CIO In Driving IT's Success

by Marc Cecere, October 22, 2009

Forrester has assembled job descriptions for several roles within the Office of the CIO — the group of IT leaders who report to the CIO and provide services outside of applications and infrastructure. Based on analyst expertise and a sampling of actual . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Making The Case For The Next-Generation PMO

Broader Visibility And Flexible Frameworks To Tackle More Work Without Killing The Budget

by Margo Visitacion, October 16, 2009

There isn't a business case for the "old school" project management office (PMO): We've tried it, and quite often it didn't work. Today's PMOs are under pressure to be business process change agents that demonstrate value without generating revenue. PMOs . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Project Manager Assessment Workbook  (76 KB XLS)

by Mary Gerush, October 15, 2009

The Project Manager Assessment Workbook can be used to evaluate an individual's strengths and growth opportunities across a set of capabilities, knowledge, and skills that are important for a specific project or program manager position. It is intended . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Define, Hire, And Develop Your Next-Generation Project Managers

by Mary Gerush, October 15, 2009

Software delivery has changed. Organizations are looking for their software development projects to deliver high business value and strong customer satisfaction as well as come in on time and on budget. They also demand faster and cheaper solutions, so . . .

For CIOs

State And Local Government: Find ARRA Support In PPM Tools

Keep ARRA In Your PPM Purchasing And Expansion Plans

by Tim DeGennaro, September 30, 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed in February of 2009, has caught many state and local governments unprepared. With billions in available stimulus funds, these entities are faced with the challenge of complying with new ARRA tracking . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Integrate EA With Project Portfolio Management Governance

Organizations Should Use EA Archetypes To Align Expectations With Deliverables

by Henry Peyret, September 18, 2009

Project portfolio governance is often the entry point for EA governance: EA teams are involved to validate projects' design and architecture fit with standards. A recent survey suggests that current EA involvement in project portfolio governance suboptimizes . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Embrace Risk-Focused Project Management

Don't Underestimate The Value Of Knowing And Using Project Risk

by Mary Gerush, September 11, 2009

Experienced IT project managers know about risk management. As one of the nine knowledge areas in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), it's considered as important as scope, quality, and cost management. But even senior project managers can . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Conquering Your Fear Of Project Portfolio Management Tools

New Tool Options Overcome The Barriers That Threaten Your Investment

by Margo Visitacion, August 28, 2009

In today's world, organizations must balance the demands that a tight economy and low risk tolerance drive without missing opportunities to advance business. Understanding the real status of projects and portfolios is critical to enabling success. And . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Business Architecture Clarifies The Scope Of Business Change Programs

by Jeff Scott, July 10, 2009

Most IT organizations have experienced projects where, despite good project management and delivery to business requirements, the project failed to deliver the desired business benefits and was deemed a failure. The root cause of these failures is that . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Next-Generation IT Requires Next-Generation EA

EA Makes The New Core Processes Of IT Work

by Alex Cullen, Gene Leganza, Jeff Scott, Jost Hoppermann, June 30, 2009

What business wants from IT is changing, and that means IT has to change how it manages itself and the IT-business relationship. Building on current project delivery and operational management competencies, CIOs are adding new core management processes: . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Anatomy Of A Portfolio Management Tool

Common Qualities Apply To All Types Of Portfolio Management Tools

by Phil Murphy, June 23, 2009

The term "portfolio management" is officially in vogue — it has been appended to applications, projects and programs, enterprises, and to IT itself. But what does it mean to manage a portfolio? What are the criteria for determining whether portfolio management . . .

For CIOs

The ROI Of Project Portfolio Management Tools

A Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) Analysis Uncovers Significant Benefits

by Craig Symons, May 8, 2009

Project portfolio management (PPM) discipline has remained a significant effort in organizations of all sizes. Both inside and outside of IT, leaders are turning to PPM to better capture, manage, prioritize, and align investments and resources with the . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Road Map: Workforce Resource Management — A New Market For Project Portfolio Management

PPM, BPM, And Web 2.0 Collaboration Are On A Collision Course

by Tim Harmon, May 4, 2009

Users have to employ a plethora of software tools to effect a comprehensive workforce resource management capability, including project portfolio management (PPM), business process management (BPM), and human capital management (HCM) products. PPM vendors, . . .

For CIOs

Programs, Not Projects, Deliver Business Value

by Craig Symons, April 30, 2009

CIOs have been searching for ways to measure, improve, and communicate the business value of IT for years without a lot of success. Many have implemented PMOs, hired certified project managers, and begun CMMI or Six Sigma initiatives, all designed to . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: The M&A Management Tools Market In 2009

Providers Of Dedicated M&A Tools Are Set For Significant Growth Ahead

by Daniel Krauss, April 10, 2009

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) management tool providers are growing at rapid rates. This strong growth of M&A virtual deal room (VDR) and project management tool (PMT) providers will continue despite the current economic turmoil and fall in the . . .

For CIOs

Director, IT Project And Portfolio Management Office - Job Profile And Description  (28 KB XLS)

by Craig Symons, April 6, 2009

A summary job description for the director of the IT project and portfolio management office.

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Packaged Applications Implementation And Deployment, Including SaaS, Q4 2008  (426 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, April 3, 2009

Firms report on their implementation and deployment of different packaged applications, with a specific focus on software-as-a-service.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Are Your Project Teams Living In "Template Hell?"

Trim The Fat By Designing Lean Templates For Pragmatic Use

by Mary Gerush, March 20, 2009

Project templates provide patterns for project deliverables, serving to increase understanding, save time, and improve the quality of project outcomes. But while the value of templates is obvious, some project management practitioners approach their creation . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

PPM Tool Selection: Look Beyond Core Functions

Industry, Governance, And Compliance Play A Larger Role

by Margo Visitacion, March 5, 2009

For organizations that invest in project portfolio management tools (PPM), comparing core functionality won't provide a clear picture of the best solution to fit their needs. Governance, compliance, and business objectives are becoming much stronger drivers . . .

For CIOs

Governance Communications

Measuring And Improving Governance With A Balanced Scorecard

by Craig Symons, February 6, 2009

Implementing strong IT governance is on the agenda for many organizations as they continue the seemingly endless pursuits of aligning IT and business strategy and getting more value from their IT investments. Developing a governance framework by defining . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The PMBOK And Agile: Friends Or Foes?

Reconcile The Tension Between The Two To Achieve A Healthy Balance

by Mary Gerush, Dave West, January 22, 2009

Development organizations strive to optimize software delivery. Application development leaders commonly use the Project Management Institute's A Guide To The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). They may also investigate Agile development methodologies . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Tenrox 10 Empowers The Project Workforce

New Release Improves User Experience, Resource Planning, And Workflow

by R "Ray" Wang, January 22, 2009

On September 23, 2008, project-based solutions (PBS) pioneer Tenrox released version 10 of its flagship solution in both software-as-a-service (SaaS) and on-premise versions. Building on improvements in version 9, which tightened integration of back-office . . .

For CIOs

Inquiry Spotlight: The PMO, Q4 2008

by Craig Symons, January 21, 2009

Program management offices (PMOs) continue to evolve, taking on increasing responsibilities and widening their scope. To understand the nature of this evolution within Forrester clients, we sifted through the more than 20,000 client inquiries we got from . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Four Steps To Optimize Your Application And Project Portfolios In Volatile Economic Times

by Phil Murphy, Margo Visitacion, January 14, 2009

Economic instability around the globe is forcing organizations to react: Some organizations will have to cut costs to survive, some organizations will proceed as usual, while still others will take a more predatory stance to gain market share from their . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Oracle Acquires Primavera

Acquisition Signals Intent To Serve Project-Intensive Industries With Leading Project-Based Solutions For The Enterprise

by Margo Visitacion, R "Ray" Wang, November 6, 2008

On October 8, 2008, Oracle announced its intention to acquire Primavera Systems for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition brings together a leading project financials vendor with a leading enterprise/capital project and program management vendor, a combination . . .