Roadblocks the Types of Challenges

¶ … Roadblocks The types of challenges my organization has faced when instituting new policies or installing new systems are typical of many problems exhibited in project management. Timeliness is a particular problem. In a multi-faceted project, if one aspect of the project is delayed, the entire project can become more costly and drawn-out than originally predicted. We have tried to address this problem by targeting the most 'mission critical' aspects of the project before it begins. However, this has not entirely prevented project delays.

It can be difficult to predict the evolution of a complex IT project, even when expectations of delays when beta-testing the system are built into the timeline. These types of problems are generally technical in nature. However, other problems can be attributed to human factors, such as change-resistance when instituting a new system. For example, whenever a new system is adopted by the organization, new training is required of all the affected personnel.

Some people will be upset if the system seems unnecessarily complicated, or represents a notable deviation from what they are accustomed to be doing, even if, logically speaking, the system is demonstrably better than what existed previously. Security-related issues are always a concern, given the considerable damage that a breach can enact upon an organization that is dependent upon IT.

These problems have been constrained to some degree by forcibly limiting employee browsing with firewalls and 'blocks' that prevent them from accessing the Internet in a manner not germane to their work. These policies, as can be imagined, have not been popular, and have generated some resentment even if they have reduced the threat of viruses and other types of malware. Part 2: Regulating the IT environment The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has made technology a critical part of a company's compliance with U.S. laws governing the reporting of financially-related data.

IT personnel must be more knowledgeable than ever before about tax and accounting policy, given that accounting staff must report how information is entered electronically, and how it specifically has enacted policies to prevent fraud using computer software. The accounting software industry has experienced a financial boom because of Sarbanes-Oxley, as it has generated -- and sold -- numerous programs to ensure compliance.

There are strict legal controls regarding the documentation of data which require constant testing and IT must have an intimate relationship with the organization's auditing and accounting department. CIOs have become more significant than ever in the creation of strategic plans, given the rise of the law, and the manner in which financial policy and IT have become conjoined.

COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology), the latest ISO 17799:2005, which defines best practices for security and effective security planning, processing, and controls are implemented across many industries, to improve Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and to prepare for future changes in financial regulations. Like Sarbanes-Oxley itself, this can be a source of frustration, given its cumbersome nature. However, without regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and COBIT, there would likely be a return to the pre-Enron corporate environment in many organizations.

No ethical person wishes a return to a climate of obfuscation and mistrust in corporate America. The existence of more stringent regulations has held dishonest people accountable, and honest organizations have nothing to hide. And one great advantage of more stringent government regulation of industry is that prospective investors are able to see that an organization is aboveboard more easily Part 3: Systems development and project management There are many sequential models for the development of IT projects.

A number of common models exist, including the ad hoc model, the waterfall model, and iterative development. The ad hoc model is perhaps the most common model, particularly for small projects (Survey of systems development process models, 1998, Center for Technology in Government). There is no specific timetable, and things tend to take place when it is most convenient for them to happen. The advantage of this is that bureaucratic red tap is minimized, there are no delays due to built-in time tables, and the free flow of ideas can.