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Avoiding the Cost Cliff in Education Information Technology

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North America’s educational institutions are headed towards their own “IT Fiscal Cliff” in 2013. The demand for IT services has never been higher, satisfaction is plummeting through ineffective help desks, failed projects and cost over runs are sinking budgets. Something must be done!

Management consulting firms like Standish lead us to believe that 68% of IT projects fail, are over budget or challenged while a minority, 32%, are delivered on time, in scope, and on budget.

If you are among the majority of IT managers you KNOW you need to change. If you are getting an “A” on your IT Score Card then read no further.

The harsh reality of IT is that two yardsticks measure you: service cost and service quality.  If your cost is too high or your service delivery and project success too low then you need to work on your resume. Striking a balance between cost and service is imperative and project success is a must.

What do you do to avoid your own education information technology fiscal cliff?

    1. Understand that you will be judged on what you do and how you do it and that to act is better than not to act. This is one of the harsh realities. No matter how brilliant you are as an IT person, what you DO, how much you SPEND, and how SUCCESSFUL you are is the only thing that is important.
    2. Implement ITIL® for your help desk by downloading our free e-book, IT Manager’s Guidebook to Implementing ITSM. We’ll help you focus on what’s important and how to excel at servicing your customers.
    3. Hire a Project Manager that iIT a businessperson. PM’s can be focused on dollars and time and sometimes miss the boat on quality and performance. A PM with a practical business background will help balance all factors of a successful project.
    4. Insist on an Agile or Lean project management method. Traditional project management is not cutting it. Studies indicate that Agile, above all other styles of PM, provides better results. 2011 IT Project Success Rates Survey
    5. Act. Planning, discussing, and thinking is only a small part of the project. Act now and you will prove yourself a winner.

For more information visit the Entry Software site and signup for an online 30-minute demo with an Entry Software consultant.

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About Mark Donais