Ethics: Duty Bound

Introduction

In today’s business world, information technology investments account for the majority of capital expenditures within many organizations. It is incumbent upon IT and project managers to properly strategize how to implement IT solutions to meet the mission and objectives of their respective organizations. The goal of these systems should be to provide the most cost effective solution. As with any investment, IT should be managed throughout its entire life cycle and constantly analyzed to ensure that both the initial and maintenance costs do not exceed their overall benefit. With all of its possibilities and services, IT should not be treated as merely a necessary operating expense.

With the ever increasing investment in information technology and the organizational impact it has, IT managers should scrutinize various aspects of the investment. It is incumbent on managers to investigate and monitor the relationship between risks, benefits/reward and IT value. (Cummings & Haag, 2010). Some key concerns regarding IT portfolios, current or perspective include equipment, personnel, locations, scope of the project and planning.

What to do with Inaccuracies?

Economic down turns have forced government and private organizations to be fiscally conservative and challenge them to get the most out of each investment. Vital to planning is the ability to accurately estimate/predict how long a project will take, whether additional resources need to be dedicated to project will require and how much it will cost. This information is a determining factor if return on investment (ROI) will be achieved in a sensible timeframe or at all, though many believe the military is not conscientious of this – we are. Management “must ensure that such planning estimates can be put together before there have been any significant expenditures of resources, time and money on the project.” (Bender, 2003)

As an IT Chief, with almost 18 years experience, I have had the...