Calleam Consulting provides feature articles that deal with subjects related to the successful management of technology projects. Currently featured articles are listed below;
- What ‘is’ leadership
You don’t have to study failed projects for too long to realize that leadership issues are a driving factor behind many failures. Ineffectual leadership can demoralize a team, be a barrier to effective decision making and stand in the way of effective stakeholder engagement. Perhaps the reason leadership issues are commonplace comes down the most fundamental of levels – An understand of what leadership actually ‘is’ … read more - Disaster DNA – Decoding the DNA of failed projects
Ineffective decision making, dysfunctional decision making and the problems that inhibit effective communications are the common problems that cause projects to fail. In this featured article some of the common ailments that affect the decision making within the team are reviewed … read more - The learning journey – From novice to expert
Expertise is the fuel that powers project success. Where a project has people with the necessary knowledge and capabilities the chances of success rises fast. The process of developing expertise is however very poorly understood. Anyone can say on their resume that they are an expert, but how many really are? In this article we’ll look at what expertise is and the processes through which learning occurs. More complex than it first appears the learning process is a journey through which we learn to perceive, interpret and process information ... read more - US Census Bureau – Field Data Collection Automation project – Case study
With responsibility for counting every man, woman and child in the USA every 10 years the US Census Bureau faces a monumental administrative task. For the 2010 Census the department decided that to improve efficiency and accuracy automation needed to play a bigger role. Despite the best of intentions and a valid concept, lack of management controls caused the project to unravel … read more - Denver International Airport Baggage System Revisited – A look at the critical decisions – Case study
The problems with the automated baggage handling system that delayed the opening of the Denver International Airport (DIA) in 1995 are a well documented example of project failure. In an article that looks at the case from a different perspective, the critical decisions that led to failure are isolated and the context in which those decisions were made is explored. Although the DIA failure can be looked at in many ways, the article focuses on the failure to listen to expert advice as the central theme that led to failure. A theme that is unfortunately still alive and well today … read more - Intellectual Infrastructure
Being manager of a software development organization can be a stressful role. Failure rates among technology projects are higher than any other type of mainstream project. In an article that looks at the practices of some of the most effective software development organizations, the role of management in building a base from which success is built is considered … read more - The Story Behind the High Failure Rates in the IT Sector
It’s an age old question, are technology projects (especially those with significant software development activities), somehow different from other types of project? People have argued both sides of this one, but the following article gives an interesting new perspective that may answer the question once and for all … read more