Content leadership determines IT success

The importance of IT for companies and the government is increasing rapidly. Whereas in the past thinking was focused on the use of IT to increase effectiveness and efficiency, the roles are slowly but surely being reversed: IT increasingly determines the functioning of companies and government. The success and failure of IT projects is highly dependent on the knowledge within organizations. Recent research done ‘why projects fail’, indicates that the knowledge of directors is often insufficient and the organization was insufficiently involved as important causes.

Top 10 causes of failed IT projects Percentage
Knowledge and involvement of directors 19%
Organizational involvement/guarantee 18%
Clear goals 16%
(chain) Dependencies 10%
Insufficient knowledge/skills/experience 10%
Project / program approach 7%
Technology 6%
Insufficient budget 5%
Scope creep 3%
Other 6%

Source: Chaos report

Only by demonstrating substantive leadership organizations can successfully manage the implementation of IT in their organization. But what is substantive leadership? In our view that is:

  •  Domain knowledge: knowledge of the IT domain for which the client is an organization is vital. Knowledge about what is the expected contribution to the organization, what is going on in the market, what is happening strategically and what are the main risks involved.
  •  Experience with executing programs and/or projects based on current methodologies: many clients have experience with projects and programs, but this knowledge is often based on the classic method of executing IT projects. With the arrival of Agile and Lean, there is a short cyclical working method. Understanding which approach is used and what the impact is is relevant
  • Active involvement: Be actively involved in the project. Have teams explain regularly what is going well and where and why things are not going well. By connecting you gain more insight into what is and is not possible.

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