A panel of federal technology management experts has released a pocket-sized guide for federal executives on running large-scale information technology projects.
The Information Technology Resources Board, an interagency group of 15 IT specialists led by the Justice Department's Mary Ellen Condon, has put together the 16-page "little blue book" to help senior executives and political appointees understand project management.
The IRS, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Agency for International Development have been heavily criticized in recent years for squandering huge investments on major IT systems that failed to deliver. Smart project management can save agencies from embarrassing IT meltdowns, the handbook says.
"Make use of project management to gain a realistic perspective on the 'big picture,' to maintain focus on priorities as they evolve, and to help sort out what must be done to make the project a success," the guide instructs.
Condon said agency leaders need to understand the necessity of effective planning. While many of the suggestions in the handbook are common-sense ideas, the booklet breaks project management into four step-by-step planning areas: tying IT projects to agency missions, strategies for success, defining project participants, and planning processes.
Smart planning "doesn't mean paralysis by analysis," Condon said. Projects need to be planned in manageable chunks so they can be reviewed at each major step, the guide suggests. Leaders must be wary of getting carried away by the promise of glitzy new technology or they might end up building up customers' expectations, only to let them down when glitches arise.
"If you expect a full dinner and you only get an appetizer, you're going to be disappointed," Condon said.
The handbook also encourages executives to stay involved in overseeing big IT projects. In its reviews of agencies' projects, the board found that "programmatic leadership was often too far removed," Condon said.
The Information Technology Resources Board was created last year to help agencies procure, develop and manage major IT systems. Sponsored by the Office of Management and Budget, the board reviews agencies' projects and makes suggestions for improving their performance. OMB and project leaders within agencies bring programs to the board for independent, confidential analysis. Board members have sworn not to discuss the specifics of projects with people outside the agencies involved.
The little blue book was modeled in part on Vice President Al Gore's Blair House Papers, a little red book on reinventing government. The Blair House Papers also inspired the interagency Human Resources Development Council to create a little green book on best practices in human resources management.
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