IT directors build project teams on a cost and
availability basis, rather than by making sure team members have
the right expertise, according to the latest research published by
Brunel University.
A survey of 80 UK IT directors conducted by the Fluid Business
team at Brunel revealed that only 22% of respondents selected staff
for IT projects by taking their experience into account.
Although 47% of respondents said they valued human facets of
development over cost, 79% admitted that they allocate staff to a
project on the basis of the project's characteristics and the
company's usual practices, rather than choosing the best
individuals for the job.
Mark Lycett, project leader for Fluid Business, said, "These
results show that although companies understand the importance of
people in projects, they rarely act on that understanding.
"Deciding who will work on which project is usually just a case
of who is free at the time. This is all very well in terms of
resource management, but those who are free may not be the best
people for the job."
A recent survey of 134 firms conducted by KPMG revealed that 56%
of respondents had needed to write off at least one IT project in
the past year.
"The way to avoid this failure might be to ensure that IT teams
are trained properly, but those who manage staff training usually
adopt a short-term attitude," Lycett said.
"As IT project managers are often responsible for training
budgets, training tends to be focused on supplying the skills
needed for the project under way at the time, rather than looking
at people's skill sets and developing their expertise or
experience."
The Fluid Business project, funded by the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council, was set up to investigate how
people, processes and technology can help businesses adapt to
changing environments.