What is Business Project Management

Despite having mentioned it in my blog description I prefer the term Business project manager over IT project manager. The latter term distinctively leaves out the Business and it gives the impression that the project is managed & directed by someone from IT. Nothing is further from the truth, it is the responsibility of the business to manage and direct the project from within the business ('even if it is an IT project').

The most striking lessons learned I have come accross in outsourcing (offschoring as well as contracting) is that the clients neglect to balance & safeguard IT knowledge on their side. This is especially problematic for the client in fixed price contracts. Not (adequatly) implementing IT governance on the business side is prohibiting adequate control, insight and quality assurance on the business value of the IT project.

Anyone familiar with PRINCE2 will know that the project manager is a role on the client side i.e. somebody in direct contact with the sponsor (or Executive) of the project. An IT project manager in PRINCE2 is a team leader controlling the execution of the project. If you work for IBM and you are coordinating a multi million dollar project for a client and you report to a project manager on client side you are still a team leader.

Since 99% of the IT projects really are business projects that have an IT component I advocate the term Business & IT project management.

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