So, what can you do?
You have to deliver on all those change requests, and finish those current projects so you can start new ones (there will always be new ones); this means accepting the things you can’t change and changing the things you can.
What can’t you change right now?
§The installed base of legacy systems.
§The backlog of change requests and bugs (even if you do manage to deal with a lot of these things, there will be new ones come along to take their place; that is job security).
§Senior management’s’ conflicting priorities for IT.
All of this is pent-up like rising waters behind a dam ready to burst. Something has to change, but you can’t just blow a hole in the dam, the result would be chaos.
So, what can you change (or at least start to change)?
§The structuring and management of the IT projects.
§Overall management of staff by skills/specialties.
§Effective allocation of staff to the projects.
What follows in the rest of this book-to-be is my prescription for this change, supported by some war stories, lessons learned, and lots of ideas to try. Every company has some unique aspects, so maybe not everything in this book will work for everyone, but I hope to give you enough ideas that some will work. My own fervent belief is that visible success with IT projects now may lead to softening/improvement of the things you can’t change right now.
I also really want to get your comments on what you think of the ideas I present, and I want to hear about what you do to deal with running multiple projects.
David Wright