Today I wanted to comment on a report that I just finished reading. It is the third annual McKinsey Survey on information technology strategy and spending.   The report was an eye opener. It tries to uncover the importance of IT strategy to business, but uncovers some interesting things about project management.

Here are the few things that opened my eyes, and made me feel that we are on the same frequency. First, the vast majority of executives (both information and other) feel that their expectations on IT are unmet. One of the biggest areas where they feel IT should be contributing more is in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes...better information for decision makers, better speed to market. Yep, that means that there should be more help making the organization more able to operate and compete.

Now, here is some good news. When asked about the effectiveness of delivering IT projects on time and on budget, 30% said they were extremely effective, while 38% said they were somewhat effective. Interestingly enough, this is about the same percentages published by the Standish Group in the last issue of the CHAOS Chronicles. Though it isn't what we would all want to see (perfection!), it is a sign of continuing improvement. You can go back to the 1994 issue (#1) of the CHAOS Chronicles and see for yourself.

Another point was that most executives shared that there is a big, giant gap between their ideal and the reality of how IT strategy and business strategy should be linked. OK, so, now for some guidance. Out of the top nine improvement areas for closing the gap, three of them seemed targeted directly at project managers:

1. Improve talent and capabilities of IT staff but in the area of communications and management!
2. Reallocate IT budgets to focus on business value drivers
3. Improve governance processes and oversight.

Man, oh man, oh man. This is targeted at us. In making IT more effective, we need to manage better; communicate better; make sure that capital (as in money!) is invested to improve business value; and finally improve governance and oversight of projects. This is exactly where we need to focus the project practitioner in the future...better communications skills; keener understanding of the relationship of their projects to business value; more sophisticated governance abilities.

Read the study and decide for yourself.

More later.

Wow! It has been a long time since I last blogged. I have been to the Middle East, specifically Dubai, UAE, and Amman, Jordan. Add to that a short trip to Beijing to participate in a Business Week CEO Conference on Leadership in Turbulent Times, and you have my itinerary for the last couple of weeks.

My last blog post on the CIO article seemed to generate good feedback. In fact, I wanted to highlight a couple of the comments that were generated when I shared that software was not the first solution, but rather a well trained project professional who knows how to use the software...don't throw software at a problem! Here are some of the great responses:

• Marcellus Lindsay was spot on when he shared his mentor's comment that a "fool with a tool is still a fool."

• Sergio Aranda agreed and shared some good news perspectives when he stated that "...companies are aware of this and as a result are spending a significant amount on business process definition ahead of their investment in project/program/portfolio management software."

• Pat Weaver said that "The thing software jockeys often forget is everything to do with projects involves people and their perceptions about an uncertain future, acceptable risks and desirable outcomes."

I must say that I have met the executives and CEOs of some of the PM software suppliers, and they too acknowledge that knowledge of PM is critical to the successful use of software. So, the suppliers want their software used correctly, and the users need more knowledge of PM to be sure they can use the software correctly; so why is there a problem? Frankly, this is where a savvy CTO or CIO can help. They should lead the charge and demand that "form follows function"...or rather, let's get the business process right, and then look at IT enabling. Wow, I could go on for hours on this. If you have the chance, go back and see the other comments on the blog. Thanks to all for your comments.