I mostly write about enterprise timesheet or enterprise project management systems and the most common phase of deployment that I talk about with such systems would be either the selection or configuration phase; talking about the strategic perspective. This article is much more about operational practices and isn’t specific just to enterprise timesheet or a particulare project management software product or service. It is, instead about enterprise systems in general though the subject matter…
“Can you help us install the EPM system and get it up and running in a few days?” is one of the most common requests EPM deployment firms get. And regardless of the size of the organization, the short answer, is unfortunately, “No.” The challenge isn’t technology; it’s a series of policy, process, procedure and practice questions that have the potential to create far-reaching organizational change. Let’s take a look at what an EPM deployment…
I’ve been a proponent of Enterprise Project Management since I first entered the project management industry in the early 1980s. You’d think, then, that I would always vote on the side of centralized project management, but that isn’t always the case. Let’s discuss for a moment just what we mean by Enterprise Project Management. EPM can mean a lot of different things to different people. I’ve already discussed in other articles in this column how…
Every year I spend days in project management software exhibition halls, so you’ll forgive me I hope for harping on what has become a bit of a cliché in our industry. You know the one I’m talking about – Enterprise Project Management Software. It must be the hangover from the ERP implementation craze from years ago because it seems that every software system available to mankind today is “Enterprise”-something. Vendors seem to all be either…
It’s what everyone wants but almost no one gets: Enterprise-wide resource capacity planning. Just what makes getting this accomplished so difficult? I’m sure I hear it at least once a week (during a trade show, twice an hour), what organizations are asking of their project management system boils down to enterprise-wide resource capacity planning. Now I know that everyone has a little of the “grass is greener on the other side” syndrome where you think…
In 1966, the original Batman TV series came on the air. It lasted only 120 episodes but it changed a culture in ways that last to this day. In the world of Batman and Robin (played by Adam West and Burt Ward), there was a ‘bat’ solution to everything. No matter what the problem, Batman would have the solution. The Batmobile, Batboat, Batplane, and Batcave all had their place. And if you were someone who…
Services are a key factor in the success of project management software vendors. With the trend towards certification how will clients know who has the skills they require? I thought I’d spend some time talking about one of the most significant elements of technology deployment in the project management sector – services. With numerous project management software vendors, the revenue from services outweighs the revenue from software sales. Perhaps that’s a good thing. After all,…
Is There a Pilot Onboard? is my latest article on Microsoft’s TechNet. The article talks about the benefits and challenges of software pilot programs. You can see other articles in the From the Trenches column I’ve been writing for years on the TechNet site.
By: Chris Vandersluis I wrote an earlier version of this article for Microsoft’s TechNet. This update has been created for the EPMGuidance site. In project management circles it is common to talk about matrix management. Matrix management isn’t anything new. It has been a management standard in most high-tech organizations. The idea of matrix management came out of management thinking in the early 70s. J.R. Galbraith published an article talking about how to combine organizational…
The fourth edition of the AMA Handbook of Project Management has just hit bookshelves and I’m very proud to say that I am one of the collaborators. I have been in the handbook since it’s first release and have been privileged to write the chapter on Enterprise Project Management. As I’ve done for each edition, I’ve edited and updated the chapter to be more relevant to the evolving world of project management and rewrote sections…