Volume X - Issue VI - June 2008
PM Industry News
Primavera celebrates 25 years On 1 May 2008, Primavera Systems, Inc. celebrated the 25th anniversary of the company's founding by CEO Joel Koppelman and Executive Vice President Richard Faris. Over the past quarter century, Primavera has developed project, program and portfolio management software solutions that have helped organizations plan and manage more than $6 trillion worth of projects. According to the company’s news release, Koppelman and Faris realized in 1983 how the development of a strong planning and scheduling tool for the newly introduced IBM PC could transform project management software, which had previously only existed on a mainframe. Even though those first PCs had less memory than most modern cell phones today, Koppelman and Faris were able to build a solution that revolutionized project management. Their new software provided many more project managers with more powerful scheduling capabilities that enabled them to plan and monitor progress on large, complex projects. As customers and their needs have grown, so have Primavera's solutions, evolving today into Web-based solutions that interoperate with standard IT infrastructure platforms. Today, 578 Primavera employees serve customers in 85 countries, with solutions targeted to: architecture, engineering and construction; public sector; aerospace and defense; power, energy and process; IT; and, discrete manufacturing. "Our mission is to rid the world of project failure," said Joel Koppelman, CEO. "We continually talk to customers to gain a better understanding of their specific industries and identify the challenges that keep their projects from running smoothly today, as well as foresee those they will face tomorrow. I firmly believe that projects can run successfully and we plan to spend the next quarter century and beyond helping our customers succeed." Primavera is a software company that provides business solutions for a project-driven world. The company helps organizations identify which projects are most important, and makes it easy for people to work collaboratively on those projects and deliver them successfully. Primavera solutions are industry-specific and highly scalable, with the power to support global enterprises. Primavera solutions have ensured the success of projects collectively worth more than $6 trillion, ranging from small to large projects as well as public and private projects. Primavera solutions have successfully managed IT projects that span the globe, the complex manufacturing of high tech products, construction of the world's tallest buildings, ongoing multi-billion dollar oil discovery projects, and space exploration. The company’s website is at http://www.primavera.com/. New study concludes that Microsoft dominates According to the results of a study by Info-Tech Research Group, Microsoft is the de facto leader in the North American IT Project Management software space. 80 per cent of respondents to a recent Info-Tech survey indicated that they rely on Microsoft Project to manage IT programs in their enterprise. “The current competitive landscape for IT Project Management software appears to be limited for anyone except Microsoft. Companies are turning to Microsoft Project because users require minimal training and it brings enough functionality without high implementation costs,” said Jennifer Colasanti, senior research consultant with Info-Tech Research Group. “Many organizations begin with Microsoft Excel for basic project management needs, so adoption of Microsoft Project is a natural progression.  The 2008 Info-Tech study surveyed more than 250 senior IT managers in companies located in the U.S. and Canada. The results revealed that IT departments have few viable options to move away from Microsoft software. The closest competitor is CA Clarity, with a mere 1.3 per cent of organizations surveyed turning to their software for Project Management support. “Most companies want to start out with a tool for managing basic requirements such as schedules, time/task reporting, and resource allocation,” Colasanti explained. “Microsoft’s competitors in the project management software space promote their more advanced portfolio management tools, which is overkill for the some 75 per cent of companies that are not yet mature in their Project Management discipline. More advanced tools are daunting for these organizations since there is no process in place to support them.” One IT manager summed up the consensus opinion: “It’s what all of the organizations that I’ve worked for have standardized on and used. I have never even seen another project planner. So really it’s just been the tool that’s been everywhere which I’ve then adopted.”
 With a paid membership of over 23,000 worldwide, Info-Tech Research Group is a global leader in providing tactical, practical Information Technology research and analysis. Info-Tech has a ten-year history of delivering quality research and is one of North America's fastest growing full-service IT analyst firms. For more information, visit www.infotech.com. 6th International Primavera Conference in Russia Reported by Alexander Tovb in Moscow In Moscow, Russia on May 26-28 will take place the 6th International Primavera Conference (visit http://www.pmsoft.ru/conf2008/). In 2008 the organizer of the Conference, PMSOFT group of companies is 15 years old. The main goal of the conference it is to share the most effective national and international practical solutions that were found during the years of work with Primavera customers. The conference in the jubilee year is going to be the one of the main events of Project Management profession in Russia and CIS countries. It is expected that more than 400 experts from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the USA, England, Germany, France, Australia and other countries will take part in the conference. Richard K. Faris will act as the lecturer at conference.  Richard K. Faris is co-founder, co-owner, and Executive Vice President of Primavera Systems, Inc. Mr. Faris has led new product development (design, programming, quality assurance, and documentation) for more than 24 years. As a result of his technical product vision, Primavera has successfully kept pace with the innovations in computer hardware and software by developing more 70 releases of twelve distinct project management products. Current products take advantage of both Windows and Web-based user interfaces, client/server architecture, and relational databases. Before founding Primavera, Mr. Faris spent more than 13 years planning, designing, managing, and controlling capital projects in the transportation industry and developing transportation network simulation systems. Mr. Faris was Vice President at Transportation Distribution Associates, an engineering consulting firm headquartered in Philadelphia, and was also employed at Booz, Allen & Hamilton as Senior Consultant. Professional assignments included working as project manager for the City of Philadelphia, managing numerous transportation simulation studies and responsible for power-demand analysis, operations planning, and project scheduling, planning, management, and control. Mr. Faris is a registered professional engineer and is an active member of several professional societies. He has delivered technical papers at PMI, AACE, ASCE, CIFE (Stanford University), and A/E/C Systems, and is a guest lecturer at several universities. Mr. Faris earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees in civil engineering from Villanova University in the USA.  PMSOFT group of companies, the authorized representative of Primavera Systems, Inc. in Russia, CIS, and Baltic States performs full complex of services in project management sphere:
PMSOFT has successfully accomplished more than 100 projects of establishment and automation of project management in different industries. For more information visit http://www.pmsoft.ru/.
 Primavera Systems, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of project, program and portfolio management software solutions. Primavera provides the software foundation that enables all types of businesses to achieve excellence in managing their portfolios, programs, projects and resources. It is estimated that projects totaling more than $6 trillion in value have been managed with Primavera products. Primavera provides industry-specific solutions to more than 76,000 customers around the world. Companies turn to Primavera to help them make better portfolio investment decisions, improve governance, prioritize their project investments and resources, and deliver tangible results back to the business. Primavera professional services personnel are equipped to help our customers reduce implementation risk, time and cost, while maximizing the return on their software investment. For more information visit http://www.primavera.com/. UK Survey Reveals Top Three Reasons Why Web Projects Fail Reported by Miles Shepherd in the UK UK IT managers and directors admit that web projects are repeatedly failing to fully meet business or organizational objectives according to an independent survey commissioned by New Bamboo, the specialist in bespoke software development using Ruby on Rails. Respondents of the survey claimed this was due to three key reasons: (1) too many changing requirements; (2) too many stake holders to please; (3) not enough budget or time to deliver.  The study, which questioned 100 senior IT managers and directors across businesses from a variety of industries, showed that the majority of businesses and organisations (61% of respondents surveyed) were still involved in delivering a basic web site or upgrade on an existing site. Whilst four out of ten IT managers and directors were trying to deliver either a bespoke solution unique to their business or e-commence functionality to their existing site. The results of the study were released in London on May 22, 2008. Damien Tanner, Co-founder of New Bamboo said, "It is critical to get the basics right. If companies are willing to accept failings in the development process for smaller projects, there is a real chance they may not revise their processes before tackling more ambitious projects. The end goal is to deliver business value - yet rigid requirements make it difficult to react to the changes that inevitably occur as knowledge and environments evolve. Requirements that have been omitted are generally picked up late in the process - by which time they are awkward and costly to implement". Key findings included the following:
These failings are set to become more prominent as companies want to develop more complex projects or bespoke solutions to unique business needs - such as social networking, e-commence and interactive elements with their customers.
 The research, conducted by independent market researchers on behalf of New Bamboo, surveyed 100 IT professionals from large organisations in several industries, including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail, Distribution and Transport. New Bamboo has several industry-leading clients in market segments that include business consultancy, global publishing and international not-for-profit organisations. New Bamboo Web Development Limited is a specialist in bespoke software development using Ruby on Rails. Its range of experience covers social networks, complex e-commerce solutions and process management and collaboration tools for organisations. New Bamboo offers a highly skilled technical team that has been programming with Ruby on Rails since its conception in 2004. The company uses an Agile methodology which is particularly suited for complex projects and is based around objective metrics, stakeholder involvement, feedback, and managed processes. New Bamboo is privately held and based in London, United Kingdom. Ruby on Rails is the framework and 'Ruby' is the programming language. For further information visit http://www.new-bamboo.co.uk or contact Lena@technologypr.eu. PMForum named Media Partner for Best Practice Showcase Reported by Miles Shepherd in the UK PMForum has been named a media partner for the 6th Annual Best Practice Showcase, an event showcasing best practices in programme and project management, which will take place at the QE11 Conference Centre in Westminster, UK on June 24th 2008. Project and programme managers are invited to attend this free learning event, which will also include an exhibition by companies offering leading programme and project management products and services.  According to event PR manager Kate Winter, “The Best Practice Showcase has historically been aimed at UK programme and project managers. This year we want to bring it to the world’s attention, to attract more international participants. We hope the media partnership with PMForum raises the event’s profile in the international project management field.” The 6th Annual Best Practice Showcase will include the following:
 The popular ‘Birds of a Feather’ sessions, where delegates discuss issues around a boardroom table, will be featured again this year. Examples of these sessions include ‘Project Leadership Techniques: benchmark your own experiences against the ‘leadership lifecycle’ and choose the right leadership technique to solve commonly occurring difficulties’ hosted by Melanie Franklin, Chief Executive, Maven Training. Paul Major, Director, Program Framework, will also host a session entitled ‘The Change Directorate. What does a Change Directorate actually do? Understanding and unpacking this concept’! The Best Practice Showcase will be held at the QEII Conference Centre, in the heart of London and a minute's walk from the Palace of Westminster. It is free to attend for programme, project and risk managers. Information and registration is available at www.bestpracticeshowcase.com As a PMForum media partner, the 2008 Best Practice Showcase will receive a listing and banner ad on PMForum’s global PM Events Calendar, pre-event news coverage of announcements and developments, live breaking news reported directly from location during the event, and post-event reporting. Examples of PMForum media partners and associated articles and news coverage can be seen at http://www.pmforum.org/events/partner_program.htm.  Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and is one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum also produces the monthly online PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net. Examples of PMForum media partners and associated articles and news coverage can be seen at http://www.pmforum.org/events/partner_program.htm. PMForum named Media Partner for ProMAC 2008 Project Management Conference in Anchorage PMForum has been named a media partner for the ProMAC 2008 project management conference to be held in Anchorage, Alaska during September 15-18, 2008. The ProMAC 2008 conference will be held at Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. This will be the fourth ProMAC project management conference, following on successful events previously held in Australia, Japan and Singapore.  According to Professor Jang Ra (pictured), Conference Chair, “This is the first international project management conference in Anchorage with high level participation by major Asia and Alaskan organizations. Professor Ali Jaafari at APIC recommended PMForum to us, so we hope they can help spread the word about our symposium. This will be an important event for both the region and our PM program at University Alaska Anchorage.” The ProMAC 2008 conference will serve as an important forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences to revolutionize today’s project management knowledge and techniques for the future. Special plenary sessions will feature top executives and government officials from the Asia Pacific region who will describe and exchange practices and plans. Paper presentations and workshops will also be held on project management topics of interest to both local organizations and international experts. For details, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/. ProMAC International Project Management Conferences are promoted through an international partnership of The Society of Project Management (Japan), the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the Asia Pacific International College (APIC) in Australia, the University of Alaska Anchorage and other participating academic and professional institutions. ProMAC has been established as a series of international conferences for academia and practicing project managers to gather and interact with each other. Successful ProMAC Conferences have previously been held in Singapore in 2002, Tokyo in 2004 and Sydney in 2006.  The Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) was officially established in June 2003. On November 3, 2003 the UAA ESPM was accredited by Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities as one of thirteen project management degree programs in the United States and the only one on the west coast. The program began classes in spring 2004 with 20 students and one year later, over 60 students had enrolled in PM classes for the spring 2005 semester. The MSPM program is organized around the nine knowledge areas defined in PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), a globally recognized standard for managing projects in today's marketplace. For more information, visit http://soe.uaa.alaska.edu/espm/index.html. An official “call for papers”, invitation to exhibitors and other information about the conference have been issued. As a PMForum media partner, the ProMAC 2008 conference will receive a listing and banner ad on PMForum’s global PM Events Calendar, pre-event news coverage of announcements and developments, live breaking news reported directly from location during the event, and post-event reporting. Examples of PMForum media partners and associated articles and news coverage can be seen at http://www.pmforum.org/events/partner_program.htm. Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and is one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum also produces the monthly online PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net. Examples of PMForum media partners and associated articles and news coverage can be seen at http://www.pmforum.org/events/partner_program.htm. Failed IT Project Brings Court Action Reported by Miles Shepherd in the UK Energy giant Centrica has launched a court action over an IT project it says has failed. In 2001 it commissioned Accenture to design and install a new customer billing system for British Gas, the major UK supplier of gas with 12 ½ million domestic accounts. The system was rolled out in 2006 with disastrous consequences as British Gas lost a million customers that year alone as major billing problems caused Regulators and the Press to campaign against the system.  Centrica claims an independent analysis of the system showed that the system had ‘fundamental design and implementation errors’ that were the responsibility of Accenture. In a recent statement Accenture denied responsibility for the debacle, claiming that the problems were of Centrica’s making. Project Jupiter, as the billing system was named, was supposed to realize some £397 million over 10 years of operation, resulting from efficiency savings from bringing together the various legacy billings systems from both gas and electricity supply companies acquired by British Gas in the run up to privatization. The new system was supposed to be able to handle 250,000 meter readings and 200,000 billings each day. The original price was claimed to be £317 million but after a number of problems, a new contract was agreed in March 2006 under which, according to the Sunday Times, Accenture provided guarantees that a software upgrade would upgrade would solve the problems. Centrica claim the upgrade did not solve the escalating problems and that they had to employ 2500 additional staff to resolve problems. Despite bringing only a third of customer accounts onto the system, reports at the time cited many problems including:
 Centrica’s High Court writ demands £182 million in damages, alleging that in addition to the software problems, Accenture also supplied inadequate computer hardware, failed to integrate the system and failed to provide adequate management information. The writ also claims that the rapid rate of ‘exceptions’ caused problems with recruiting and training staff. In early 2007, Centrica informed Accenture that it considered them to be in breach of contract. Accenture’s response is that ‘Centrica is only truing to shift blame for a situation it created’. Rejecting responsibility for the situation, Accenture claimed that Centrica ‘directed the design, build and implementation of the Jupiter system’. They also claim that Centrica had insisted on many of the ‘features they now find problematic’ and ‘after extensive testing, took over total control of the system about which they now complain and has operated the system themselves for two years’. These conflicting claims will be tested in court in due course but they raise some interesting issues – such as did Centrica take over a system because they felt they could no long rely on Accenture to complete the work or did Accenture hand over a working system that the client was happy with? What is clear is the damage that resulted to British Gas who lost 1 million customers in less than a year – a reputation wrecking incident but who is to blame? |
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