Turning Data into Information in IT Project Management
In each of the previous four building blocks, we’ve discussed how meaningful project-related data is generated. The final building block, reporting, is a vital piece of project success—when it’s done right. After all, if all of that important data you’ve been diligently collecting is misrepresented, misinterpreted, or not reported at all, you’re setting the project (and […]
Making the Most of What You’ve Got In IT Project Management
In order to successfully manage a project, you’ll need to understand what types of resources you’ll have at your disposal and determine how best to deploy them. That may sound pretty obvious and even simple, yet in practice, it can be anything but. In today’s business environment, it’s rare—if not unheard of—to find departments or […]
In IT Project Management, Speaking the Same Language Keeps You on the Same Page
IT project management—and really project management in general—has a language all its own, including terms like Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, etc. The same can be said of most specialized fields so that in itself isn’t much of an issue, at least when you’re communicating with people within that same specialty. But as […]
In IT Project Management, Square Pegs Don’t Fit into Round Holes
Congratulations! Thanks to your intake process, you officially have a shiny new project to manage. At this point, your focus is shifting to how you’re actually going to deliver it—on time and under budget, of course. While Waterfall and Agile are mainstays of IT project management, it’s possible that neither of those is the best […]
Be Sure to Start from the Right Place in IT Project Management
There’s certainly no shortage when it comes to good—or necessary—projects in any organization, and especially when it comes to IT. In fact, there is typically more work proposed than can be delivered due to the time and resources available. And to complicate matters, not every project has the same level of impact or importance to […]
Why More Schools Should Consider Implementing a One Stop Service Center
As a college student, I don’t know many of my peers that have plenty of “time to kill.” We live very busy lives trying to juggle academics, involvement on campus, work/internships, and a social life. One of the last things a student wants to spend their precious free time doing is running around campus and […]
What Do Students Really Want from IT?
The days of chalkboards, notepads, and paperback books are dwindling as technology is taking over the education sector. Now, most students read their textbooks online, take their quizzes from a laptop, and learn on a screen. With technology taking a central role in education, what do students really want from IT in this new age […]
The 2018 TDX Higher Ed Pulse Study is Here and This is What We Learned
For the third year in a row, the issue of resource constraints (at 47%) continues to top the list of key challenges for 2018 among higher-ed IT professionals by a sizeable margin. To show just how prevalent this issue is across the board, the second-highest vote-getter—IT security and compliance—came in at a distant 13%. So, […]
Why Marketing Is Interruption-Driven and How to Stop the Madness
Marketers take on a lot – and most of it is through email and desperately managed in spreadsheets. This interruption-driven day does not need to exist. Marketing has made great strides in automation around behavioral scoring, digital analytics and more. But the truth is that behind the scenes there still exists a fair amount of […]
From the West to a New Frontier
Is your help desk software making the grade? Perhaps your current solution is homegrown, or maybe it just doesn’t follow industry best practices. Either way, this can create a blind spot within your IT operations that makes it difficult to deliver quality customer service—consistently—and make the best use of the resources you have. Regardless of the […]
5 Keys to Improving K-12 IT Maturity: Change Management
Improving IT Maturity in K-12 Districts: Change Management In Parts 1-4 of our series on improving IT maturity in K-12 districts, we’ve discussed how self-service, Knowledge-Centered Support (KCS®), cybersecurity, and ITIL can play vital roles in that effort. In Part Five, we’re going to focus on the final piece of the puzzle, and one that […]
IT Maturity Driving Centralization
A Move Toward Centralization for Improved IT Maturity Is your IT department stretched a little thin these days? Finding a balance between the day-to-day and major projects on campus is hard. And it’s probably safe to assume you don’t have unlimited resources at your disposal. Don’t worry—no one else does either, so you’ll need to […]