Michael Gentle

Publisher	Wiley
ISBN	978-0-470-72401-9
RRP	£19.99
Reviewed by	Jim McGhie CEng, MBCS CITP
Score	6 out of 10

 The author of IT Success starts by asserting that when software development projects are undertaken by the IT department in line with the traditional IT business model then they are almost always doomed to fail. He also claims that IT investments should not have to compete for funding in the traditional manner because they differ fundamentally from other organisational assets.

Problems arise mainly because in the current model it is assumed that software can be scoped, specified and signed off as if it were a building project and that the business benefits will only occur after the project is completed. However, as the author points out, building projects employ standard products and components whilst relying on standard labour types and costs. Consequently building projects are far less risky than the average IT project where for example, requirements are forever changing in line with business strategy.

In order to overcome the problems created by employing the existing model the book proposes a fresh approach based on a shared risk/reward partnership set up to deliver results over time. The various components and process contained in the new model are discuss these include, demand management and investment planning along with the roles and responsibilities that have to be in place in order to implement the new model.

My only criticism of the book is that the case study towards the end is merely an illustration of the main points of the new model and not its application to a real life situation. This has resulted in a number of assumptions being made by the author regarding the impact of the new model on an organisation which may not necessarily prove to be true in practice. This section of the book would have had considerably more impact if a real organisation had been used in the application of the theory.

The book is likely to command a wide readership amongst project managers and IT specialists having a requirement to evaluate an alternative approach to the traditional way in which IT projects are currently specified and implemented.

Further information: Wiley