BCS Project Management guide addresses IT project crisis
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A report from the Parliamentary Work and Pensions Select Committee, "Management of IT Projects: Making IT Deliver for DWP Customers", recommends that the Department recruits sufficient numbers of skilled project managers with knowledge of IT projects to negotiate contracts and to monitor their IT suppliers effectively.
It also recommends that the Department enters into urgent discussions with professional bodies, including the BCS, to agree a set of recognised professional qualifications for IT project management.
The new book from the BCS is both a textbook for candidates of the ISEB Foundation Certificate in IS Project Management qualification but also a pioneering guide to IT professionals seeking to develop their skills in this continuously evolving and crucial sector. In addition to outlining the principles of project management, the book covers project planning, risk management and communication between project stakeholders: skills which are perceived in serious shortfall in the IT profession by several recent studies on IT Project failure.
According to BCS chief executive David Clarke, "The BCS and the Royal Academy of Engineering recently reported that over 80% of large IT projects fail, so there has never been a more critical time for IT professionals to ensure their project management skills are qualified and well defined.
"Findings of our joint report reveal that the current high volume of large IT project failure can be directly attributed to a lack of project management skills within an organisation."
The BCS has also been empowered, under its Royal Charter, to award the title of Chartered IT Professional for the first time. This promises even greater recognition and status for thousands of experienced senior IT practitioners. The BCS has introduced these new changes to its membership to assist the IT profession in boosting its current flagging status, particularly as IT project failure is reaching a new all time high according to its recent report issued with the Royal Academy of Engineering - "The Challenges of IT Projects."
Related links to this article:
British Computer Society
House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee
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