Technology Plans

I found this weeks readings largely useful. I thought many offered valuable tips including: Schuyler's statement that technology plans are political documents and make sure you make them generic and flexible in particular don't spend time researching specific technology because it's very likely that newer technology will be available at the time that funds are at hand. Dugan's suggested IT plan sections serve as a useful template when we have to write our own plan: introduction/executive summary; user needs/rationale; mission; vision; key challenges; priorities; implementation/action plan; public awareness; evaluation/measures/assessment; maintaining the plans currency; and appendices. Whittaker's evaluation of causes for IT project management failures with schedule overruns occurring more frequently than budget overruns was helpful and paralleled similar causes of currently unsuccessful projects. Gerding and Mackellar's practical account that the need is not for the technology itself but to solve a problem that exists in the community.