VIEWPOINTS

Solving the Project Execution Problem: Technology Alone Won't Do It!

By Curt Finch, CEO
and
April Boland
Resource Manager

Journyx, Inc.
Austin, Texas, USA

As project management technology grows in popularity, we can all assume that the problem of executing projects successfully must be solved, right? Wrong. The Standish Group has found that 68% of technology projects still failed in 2009. Does this mean that project management solutions are just a waste of time? According to a recent list of Top 10 Project Management Trends, companies are purchasing project management solutions more now than ever before. “The implementation of new PPM solutions [in 2010] will soar. Program and project managers, under pressure from senior management to demonstrate project portfolio performance and its impact on the enterprise, will make the pitch for - and win - resources to implement project portfolio management solutions.”

Project management technology is quite powerful and can definitely help companies achieve better results, but it is only as good as the processes and people that support it. Looking at the root causes of project failure and implementing the necessary changes that will enable the technology to work is the only way to achieve successful project execution.

#1: Ignorance of Project Cost

Nobody likes to track their time, but if you do not know how much time your team members are spending on various projects, you do not really know how much the projects cost. Not only that, but if you are asked by senior management to make cuts, how will you know where to do so, not knowing where your profit lies? Having team members track their time by project (and specifically by task) gives you the knowledge necessary to make the right decision.

In this case, step one is getting the software, but step two – getting your employees to use it – is also key. The system is only as good as the data entered into it, so you will have to find a way to motivate your team and obtain widespread buy-in….

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About the Author Curt Finch Author Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx (http://pr.journyx.com), a provider of Web-based software located in Austin, Texas, that tracks time and project accounting solutions to guide customers to per-person, per-project profitability. Journyx has thousands of customers worldwide and is the first and only company to establish Per Person/Per Project Profitability (P5), a proprietary process that enables customers to gather and analyze information to discover profit opportunities. In 1997, Curt created the world’s first Internet-based timesheet application - the foundation for the current Journyx product offering. An avid speaker and author, Finch recently published All Your Money Won't Another Minute Buy: Valuing Time as a Business Resource (http://www.timetrackingbook.com). He is also a blogger for Inc. (http://www.inc.com/tech-blog), and you can follow him on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/clf99).

About the Author April Boland Author April Boland is the Resource Manager for Journyx, Inc. She is a former Jeannette K. Watson Fellow who currently develops and coordinates communications strategies to meet organizational objectives. . Boland also authors the Journyx Project Management Blog (http://www.project-management-blog.com). April can be contacted at april@journyx.com. Information about Journyx can be found at http://www.journyx.com/.