Banish the Crude Spreadsheet Approach to Project Management or Risk More Project Failure



According to many independent surveys, IT project failure is endemic - with a recent study by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (http://www.isaca.org/) of 400 UK IT professionals finding nearly half of IT projects never make it to full implementation because of a failure to deliver. Furthermore, according to a landmark 2003 KPMG survey, between 5 and 15% of projects crash and burn - not least because they're bedevilled by a host of unresolved issues and bugs, many of which, though minor, have to be resolved before end-users will sign the project off as complete. To help companies meet these challenges, independent UK compliance expert IT Governance Ltd has launched BugBox (www.bugbox.biz), a simple-to-use, yet comprehensive issue management and project manager support aid.

BugBox can be used with a variety of project management methodologies, including UK Government standard PRINCE2 (http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/prince2.aspx), providing the manager with a way to input and manage issues ('bugs') and see proposed solutions, such as ownership, planned actions and revised completion dates, in a very straightforward manner.

The software was developed by experienced PRINCE2 and project management experts, resulting in a feature-rich workflow issue management tool that controls ownership, resolves issues and delivers projects on time. The software has been accredited by professional standards body APM Group for use in PRINCE2 project management (being awarded Bronze status). However, BugBox has been designed to be used with any project management methodology.

Another key advantage is the fact that BugBox is highly tailorable and scaleable to projects of any size - from single-person operations to large, multi-disciplinary undertakings. BugBox can be used as a stand-alone tool, or on a network. No training is required, and download and installation is on a follow-the-screen instructions basis.

"The use of spreadsheets and Word documents has consistently failed to deliver the information effective project management requires," warns Alan Calder, IT Governance's Chief Executive.

"Using that approach just delivers inconsistent and hard-to-quantify results - significantly diminishing the value of information collected for what are often mission-critical business projects. We strongly urge any project manager to investigate more structured and workflow-based alternatives."

Calder adds, "Changes in public tolerance for weak project performance make addressing issues generated by managing projects via spreadsheets vital. Project management is a key strategic capability in today's challenging business environment, and it truly deserves to be based on more than a crude tool like the spreadsheet."

BugBox is priced at 39.95 each for 1 - 9 users and 349.95 total for 10+ users. Users can get a free trial to explore the product's full features, then add more licences as and when required. It can be downloaded from www.bugbox.biz

NOTES TO EDITORS

IT Governance Ltd is the one-stop shop for books, tools, training and consultancy for Governance, Risk Management and Compliance. It is a leading authority on data security and IT governance for business and the public sector. IT Governance is 'non-geek', approaching IT issues from a non-technology background and talking to management in its own language. Its customer base spans Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. More information is available at www.itgovernance.co.uk. To view all the latest IT Governance news, visit http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/media/newscats.aspxcat_id=2&title=Surveys%20&%20Press%20Releases.





Banish the Crude Spreadsheet Approach to Project Management or Risk More Project Failure