NASCIO Releases Findings From State IT Project Management Survey

Billions of dollars are spent on government IT projects every year and state CIOs have the bulk of responsibility for them. Although many have good track records, project success rates have great room for improvement. States have demonstrated that applying the discipline of project management (PM) can greatly increase project success, but there is still much to be done. This premise served as the impetus behind the National Association of State Chief Information Officers' (NASCIO) 2005 survey of state information technology (IT) project management practices.

Findings from the survey have just been released in Discipline Succeeds: Findings from the NASCIO State IT Project Management Assessment. Thirty-four state project management offices participated in the self-assessment from August-September of 2005. The trends found in their responses set the baseline for state IT project management progress. An executive summary is included at the beginning of the document.

Throughout the report, several core themes emerge as recommendations for success of state IT initiatives:

• There is value in adopting an enterprise approach toward IT investments.
  
  
• Given the complexity of implementing IT projects both within and across state agencies, clarifying the governance structure during the initiation phase of the project is essential.
  
  
• Organizational change management must be viewed as an integral component of project management.
  
  
• Enterprise portfolio management can facilitate the alignment of statewide IT investments with a state's goals and objectives and enterprise architecture.
  
  
• Actively supporting career advancement for project managers within the state through project management training and certification programs enhances continuous improvement.

The survey and report are two primary deliverables from NASCIO's new state IT Project Management Forum, an information exchange for state PM leaders. Key findings from the self-assessment and recommended action items for NASCIO and state CIO offices are listed within the report per survey subtopic area. Subtopics include: PMO structures, governing statewide and multi-agency projects, organizational change management, project portfolio change management, strategic alignment with state IT strategic plans, PM certification and training programs, and PM career paths in state government.

"It has been proven that sound project management practices significantly improve the success rates of IT implementations," said Matt Miszewski, Wisconsin CIO and NASCIO 2005-06 president. "NASCIO is the right place to determine the progress toward improving states' project management practices and to learn from each other as this discipline continues to advance. Support of the State IT Project Management Forum allows us to make the most of our members' experience."