For CIOs

Role Descriptions For The Office Of The CIO

Key Roles Support The CIO In Driving IT's Success

by Marc Cecere, October 22, 2009

Forrester has assembled job descriptions for several roles within the Office of the CIO — the group of IT leaders who report to the CIO and provide services outside of applications and infrastructure. Based on analyst expertise and a sampling of actual . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Making The Case For The Next-Generation PMO

Broader Visibility And Flexible Frameworks To Tackle More Work Without Killing The Budget

by Margo Visitacion, October 16, 2009

There isn't a business case for the "old school" project management office (PMO): We've tried it, and quite often it didn't work. Today's PMOs are under pressure to be business process change agents that demonstrate value without generating revenue. PMOs . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Project Manager Assessment Workbook  (76 KB XLS)

by Mary Gerush, October 15, 2009

The Project Manager Assessment Workbook can be used to evaluate an individual's strengths and growth opportunities across a set of capabilities, knowledge, and skills that are important for a specific project or program manager position. It is intended . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Define, Hire, And Develop Your Next-Generation Project Managers

by Mary Gerush, October 15, 2009

Software delivery has changed. Organizations are looking for their software development projects to deliver high business value and strong customer satisfaction as well as come in on time and on budget. They also demand faster and cheaper solutions, so . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Embrace Risk-Focused Project Management

Don't Underestimate The Value Of Knowing And Using Project Risk

by Mary Gerush, September 11, 2009

Experienced IT project managers know about risk management. As one of the nine knowledge areas in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), it's considered as important as scope, quality, and cost management. But even senior project managers can . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: The M&A Management Tools Market In 2009

Providers Of Dedicated M&A Tools Are Set For Significant Growth Ahead

by Daniel Krauss, April 10, 2009

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) management tool providers are growing at rapid rates. This strong growth of M&A virtual deal room (VDR) and project management tool (PMT) providers will continue despite the current economic turmoil and fall in the . . .

For CIOs

Director, IT Project And Portfolio Management Office - Job Profile And Description  (28 KB XLS)

by Craig Symons, April 6, 2009

A summary job description for the director of the IT project and portfolio management office.

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Packaged Applications Implementation And Deployment, Including SaaS, Q4 2008  (426 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, April 3, 2009

Firms report on their implementation and deployment of different packaged applications, with a specific focus on software-as-a-service.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Are Your Project Teams Living In "Template Hell?"

Trim The Fat By Designing Lean Templates For Pragmatic Use

by Mary Gerush, March 20, 2009

Project templates provide patterns for project deliverables, serving to increase understanding, save time, and improve the quality of project outcomes. But while the value of templates is obvious, some project management practitioners approach their creation . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The PMBOK And Agile: Friends Or Foes?

Reconcile The Tension Between The Two To Achieve A Healthy Balance

by Mary Gerush, Dave West, January 22, 2009

Development organizations strive to optimize software delivery. Application development leaders commonly use the Project Management Institute's A Guide To The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). They may also investigate Agile development methodologies . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Tenrox 10 Empowers The Project Workforce

New Release Improves User Experience, Resource Planning, And Workflow

by R "Ray" Wang, January 22, 2009

On September 23, 2008, project-based solutions (PBS) pioneer Tenrox released version 10 of its flagship solution in both software-as-a-service (SaaS) and on-premise versions. Building on improvements in version 9, which tightened integration of back-office . . .

For CIOs

Inquiry Spotlight: The PMO, Q4 2008

by Craig Symons, January 21, 2009

Program management offices (PMOs) continue to evolve, taking on increasing responsibilities and widening their scope. To understand the nature of this evolution within Forrester clients, we sifted through the more than 20,000 client inquiries we got from . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Oracle Acquires Primavera

Acquisition Signals Intent To Serve Project-Intensive Industries With Leading Project-Based Solutions For The Enterprise

by Margo Visitacion, R "Ray" Wang, November 6, 2008

On October 8, 2008, Oracle announced its intention to acquire Primavera Systems for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition brings together a leading project financials vendor with a leading enterprise/capital project and program management vendor, a combination . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The Emerging M&A Management Tools Market

Integrated Solutions Pave The Way To More Sophisticated M&A Management

by Daniel Krauss, Pascal Matzke, September 9, 2008

While the number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has increased over the past few years, most companies lack a structured and repeatable approach for managing the deals in an efficient and effective manner. And while dedicated tools and applications . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Preparing For The Business Technology Analyst

by Mike Gilpin, August 20, 2008

As traditional notions of the business analyst evolve, application development and program management professionals must prepare for a new, emerging type of business analyst: the business technology analyst. Because these new business technology analysts . . .

For CIOs

Debunking IT Project Failure Myths

by Lewis Cardin, July 28, 2008

Firms commonly use three metrics to decide whether a project effort is successful: Did the project meet its schedule, stay within budget, and deliver on requirements? During project development, these same criteria are used to assign a progress status . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Stretching Your Project Management Muscles

Five Steps To Increase The Flexibility Of Your Project Management Function

by Mary Gerush, July 8, 2008

Business success requires innovation and adaptation, and technology approaches are evolving to keep pace, employing flexible concepts such as service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Agile development methodologies. But, if your project management function . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Strong Project Managers Drive Successful Web Design Projects

by Craig Menzies, July 8, 2008

In a recent survey of the European Interactive Agency Peer Research Panel (IAPRP), Forrester learned that project management is clearly a mission-critical issue: Clients considered it a key element of their Web design partner selection criteria, and agencies . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

I&KM Pros: The New Business Analyst Takes Center Stage

by Connie Moore, May 6, 2008

Business analysts have always been an important part of any information and process-oriented IT initiative. They serve as intermediaries between business and technology stakeholders, analyzing the business processes that create, update, and consume information, . . .

For CIOs

The Business Analyst's Dual Focus: Technology And The Business  (214 KB PPT)

by Carey Schwaber, Rob Karel, April 10, 2008

The role of the business analyst is changing. This data chart will showcase some Forrester data that highlights the trends.

For CIOs

The New Business Analyst

Business Technology Analysts Become The CIO's Most Valuable Business Ally

by Carey Schwaber, Rob Karel, April 8, 2008

Everyone agrees on the importance of the business analyst role, but few know exactly what it is that business analysts do. In truth, there are two main types of business analyst: business-oriented and IT-oriented. But with the move from information technology . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Trends 2008: Project-Based Solutions

by R "Ray" Wang, Andy Salunga, February 29, 2008

In 2008, Forrester believes that project-based solutions (PBS) adoption will continue to be driven by specific microverticals in professional services, construction, real estate, and the public sector. A worsening economic climate will up the ante on . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Project Assessment And Rescue Checklists  (52 KB XLS)

by Peter Sterpe, February 13, 2008

For CIOs

The Forrester Wave™: Project Portfolio Management Tools, Q4 2007

CA And Planview Lead, With HP, IBM, And Primavera Close Behind

by Lewis Cardin, December 18, 2007

Forrester evaluated 14 leading project portfolio management (PPM) vendors across 95 criteria and found that CA and Planview established PPM leadership — thanks to their wide choice of mature features and functions. Compuware, HP, IBM, Microsoft, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Introducing Project-Based Solutions

Enterprise Solutions For Project-Based And People-Centric Businesses

by R "Ray" Wang, May 10, 2007

Externally focused service or project-based professionals face unique challenges. Although work often focuses around projects, most enterprise applications remain designed for a functional world. Thus, firms in industries such as public sector, AEC, government . . .