Value-Driven IT Project Portfolio Management: Tool-Based Scoring, Selection, and Scheduling

Managing IT project portfolios is a challenge because of IT projects\u27 complexity, dynamics, and uncertainty. Many IT projects exceed resources or time frames and do not reach their value-driven goals. A continuous scoring, selection, and scheduling of IT project proposals is thus essential to build an optimal portfolio. It has a significant impact on value contribution, strategic direction, goal achievement, and competitive advantages. We quantify an IT project\u27s urgency, strategy, efficiency, risk, and complexity as important evaluation and scoring criteria. To support top management decision makers in the IT project portfolio management process, we outline a combination of an evaluation approach with an optimization model. We develop a prototype decision support system to automate and simplify this process and demonstrate its applicability. Our recommendations address both theory and practice, improve IT project portfolio management, support value creation, and goal achievement

Value-driven IT Project Portfolio Management: Process Model, Evaluation Framework, and Decision Support

Companies must optimize their information technology (IT) project portfolio to achieve goals. However, IT projects often exceed resources and do not create their promised value, for example, because of missing structured processes and evaluation methods. Continuous IT portfolio management is thus of importance and a critical business activity to reach value-driven goals. Guided by Design Science Research with literature reviews and expert interviews, we develop, evaluate, and adjust an IT project portfolio management process model, a holistic IT project evaluation framework, and implement a decision support system prototype. Our results and findings synthesize and extend previous research and expert opinions and guide decision-makers to make more informed and objective IT project portfolio management decisions aligned with optimal value creation. Furthermore, we deduce new research opportunities for IT project portfolio management process models, decision tools, and evaluation frameworks

Today?s German Universities and dynamic education webs: does it fit?

Contemporary lifelong learning (L3) concepts require permeability between higher and further education. Today, human resources development is a critical success factor in a global environment. Shorter innovation cycles and the challenges of the service economy imply the alignment of further education concepts to the employees? working situation. Standardized content offers are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of both learners and companies. Public and private education providers have to collaborate to meet the customers? learning needs. Providers can and should establish dynamic business webs – so- called dynamic education webs – in this collaborative process. These partnerships are temporary in nature and are based mainly on incentives instead of contracts. We will focus on this new phenomenon and present research results with high practical relevance. The core questions arise: What promotes dynamic education webs? Who are the key players? What are critical success factors? These questions are answered based on literature, market studies and expert questionings of important market players. The recommendations derived can help the management to participate successfully in dynamic education webs. A glance at trends and market potentials as stated by the experts concludes the paper.Die Herausforderungen an zeitgemäße Weiter- und Fortbildungskonzepte erfordern im Kontext des lebenslangen Lernens die Durchlässigkeit zwischen akademischer Erstausbildung, berufsbegleitender Weiter- und Fortbildung sowie akademischer Zusatzqualifikation. Aus Sicht der Unternehmen auf die Weiter- und Fortbildung der Mitarbeiter ist diese ein kritischer Erfolgsfaktor in einem globalisierten Wettbewerbsumfeld. Kürzere Innovationszyklen und die Herausforderung der Dienstleistungsgesellschaft erfordern arbeitsplatznahe Weiterbildungskonzepte. Standardisierte Lerninhalte sind dabei oft nicht länger ausreichend, um den von den Unternehmen formulierten Weiterbildungsbedarf ihrer Mitarbeiter zu bedienen. Öffentliche und private Weiter- und Fortbildungsanbieter gehen immer häufiger Kooperationen ein, um diese individualisierten Weiterbildungsbedarfe ihrer Kunden erfüllen zu können. Dynamische kundenorientierte Wertschöpfungsnetzwerke in der Weiter- und Fortbildung entstehen. Dabei handelt es sich um temporäre anreizbasierte Kooperationen ohne langfristig bindende vertragliche Vertragswerke. Der Aufsatz beschäftigt sich mit diesem neuen Phänomen und beantwortet die folgenden Kernfragen: Was begünstigt dynamische kundenorientierte Wertschöpfungsnetzwerke in der Weiter- und Fortbildung? Wer sind zentrale Akteure? Was sind kritische Erfolgsfaktoren? Die Erkenntnisse basieren auf einer Literaturrecherche, Marktstudie sowie einer Expertenbefragung ausgewählter Marktteilnehmer. Daraus werden praxisorientierte Handlungsempfehlungen sowie ein Ausblick auf Trends und Potentiale für Anbieter in dynamischen kundenorientierten Wertschöpfungsnetzwerken abgeleitet

A Decision Support Tool for the Risk Management of Offshore Wind Energy Projects

This paper provides a decision support tool (DST) to analyze and evaluate the project value of offshore wind energy projects within the framework of project finance. The DST is based on a discounted cash-flow model in combination with a Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) to measure project risks and manage these risks. To consider the special requirements of debt capital providers in this context, key figures like the debt service cover ratio (DSCR) are calculated. The DST is realized in Excel/VBA with the Excel Add-In Oracle Crystal Ball. An offshore wind park example in the German North Sea is simulated to validate the underlying simulation model and the DST

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR ADOPTION OF INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS – A META-ANALYSIS

Integrated information systems continuously develop into a strategic instrument for higher education institutions. In contrast to private companies, specific characteristics of higher education institutions in regards to their organizational structure as well as their management and operations require a tailored project management approach. There is need for thorough research and practical recommendations for implementation of integrated information systems in higher education institutions. This paper provides a systematic meta-analysis and a state of the art overview of critical success factors for selection and implementation of integrated information systems based on the characteristic of the higher education sector. A qualitative content analysis is applied to receive a comprehensive list of critical success factors for higher education institutions. The mostly named critical success factors are stakeholder participation, business process reengineering and communication which align well with the peculiarities of the higher education sector

INDUSTRIALIZATION OF DERIVATIVE DESIGN: INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT WITH THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION SYSTEM WARRANT-PRO-2

Risk management is essential in a modern financial services industry. Derivative instruments like options have a particular status. Appropriate derivatives allow financial service providers to redistribute risks towards others. The process of creating customer tailored derivatives is not wellinvestigated today. With the financial information system (FIS) WARRANT-PRO-2 derivative prices are computed for given payments. The deviation, for example, from a predefinable Delta of an option can be minimized. Automatic creation of optimally synthesized options is very promising for buyer and seller. An example is presented to show the easy process of creating a customer tailored option

Self-service business intelligence and analytics application scenarios: A taxonomy for differentiation

Self-service business intelligence and analytics (SSBIA) empowers non-IT users to create reports and analyses independently. SSBIA methods and processes are discussed in the context of an increasing number of application scenarios. However, previous research on SSBIA has made distinctions among these scenarios only to a limited extent. These scenarios include a wide variety of activities ranging from simple data retrieval to the application of complex algorithms and methods of analysis. The question of which dimensions are suitable for differentiating SSBIA application scenarios remains unanswered. In this article, we develop a taxonomy to distinguish among SSBIA applications more effectively by analyzing the relevant scientific literature and current SSBIA tools as well as by conducting a case study in a company. Both researchers and practitioners can use this taxonomy to describe and analyze SSBIA scenarios in further detail. In this way, the opportunities and challenges associated with SSBIA application can be identified more clearly. In addition, we conduct a cluster analysis based on the SSBIA tools thus analyzed. We identify three archetypes that describe typical SSBIA tools. These archetypes identify the application scenarios that are addressed most frequently by SSBIA tool providers. We conclude by highlighting the limitations of this research and suggesting an agenda for future research

Decision support framework for IT project manager recruitment

Information technology project managers (IT PM) have a critical influence on IT project success while attracting and selecting the right IT PM is challenging. We followed a four-level research design and firstly developed a taxonomy as an input for a cluster analysis to identify patterns in IT PM job advertisements. Based hereon, we developed a decision support framework for IT PM recruitment. We evaluated our findings in an online survey. We identified multiple design elements for IT PM job advertisements within five perspectives and deduced five IT PM archetypes. The decision support framework uses five questions to assist IT PM recruitment. We expand the knowledge base and consider not only IT PM requirements but also benefits. Our decision support framework is the first to holistically support IT PM recruitment, supports recruitment managers in structuring job interviews, identifies potential matches between applicants and recruiters, and assists in the final selection

Discussion and Validation of a CRM System Selection Approach with Experts

Due to the high failure rate, costs, and long duration of CRM implementation projects, it is crucial to evaluate softwaresolutions before making an investment decision. A methodological approach is required to make these decisions moreeffectively and efficiently. In this paper, an approach to evaluating CRM software packages is proposed that is the result of aliterature review. In a second step, an initial applicability check of the approach is conducted. The intention is to verify thefeasibility of the proposed approach with CRM experts who have practical experience with the selection of different systems.An empirical study that is subdivided into qualitative expert interviews and a quantitative online survey is used for thisverification. The core results demonstrate that the approach is a valid method for evaluating CRM software applications