Get an inside look at how successful project managers build their e-business skills. In this book, three e-business experts capture years of experience into this easy-to-follow reference. Deliberately focusing on e-business project management, integration, application, risk management, security and many of the soft skills not often evident in e-business management. The authors share with you proven architectural patterns that can help get you up and running quickly, while at the same time reducing your risks. Because today's economy demands that e-business initiatives emphasize profitability and return on investment, the authors also offer guidance on methods to minimize cost, yet ensure quality.

This book offers a blueprint to project managers for avoiding such mistakes and for achieving success in the new digital economy. It also includes case studies, examples, references, and pointers to other materials.

FEATURES OF THIS BOOK:

• Presents a framework for defining e-business architectures and concepts.
• Provides information regarding skill and knowledge requirements for a project manager during the implementation of an e-business solution.
• Provides proven project management strategies, risk management techniques, and application methods that cover most e-business requirements.
• Demonstrates how engaging the business strategy team is crucial to the success of the implementation and deployment of an e-business initiative
• Demonstrates how to guide the development and implementation of an web centric application to maximize the subject matter experts time and input
• Provides concrete tools and checklists that were designed for e-business projects

AUDIENCE:

• Business executives who must determine which e-business solutions to implement and are conscious of the key drivers (such as time to market and cost to implement) that govern implementing these solutions.
• CIOs and CTOs who are responsible for implementing e-business solutions and choosing the architecture that will provide the underpinnings of these solutions .
• Project professionals who need to understand how to manage complex e-business applications using specific technologies .
• Academics who wish to understand the implementation approaches that practitioners use to implement e-business solutions .

Wes Balakian PMP, CEA, brings a wide range of project management and e-business experience in managing software development projects. With more than tens years of global program management experience in the telecommunications industry. Current responsibility focuses on implementation and management of complex, medium to large-scale, business to business solutions for Internet commerce, supply chain management, client relationship management, workforce optimization and industry-specific offerings.

Mr. Balakian is also the president of True Solutions Inc. TSI was created to further develop the need for education, training and development in the IT e-business and e-commerce project management profession. As an accomplished speaker, Wes has delivered e-business project management training to fortune 100 companies in six continents. Other responsibilities include: the Vice Chairman of Professional development for the PMI E-Business SIG (Specific Interest Group), Vice Chairman at large for the B2B Technology Group.

Keith Young CISA, CePM, is the Managing Partner of Integrity Solution, LLC. He has over 9 years experience in assisting companies in the health care, manufacturing, governmental, telecommunications and financial service markets in implementing ERP and e-business solutions. During his career, Mr. Young has trained and consulted with several Fortune 500 companies on e-business concepts and strategies. Some of his clients include the Federal Reserve Bank, BellSouth, General Motors Corporation and Shell Oil.

Rajesh Veerapaneni has worked as a Systems Analyst, Systems Manager, and Systems Architect for large corporations. With strong technical background and hands on experience in large ERP and e-business implementations. Currently, working as Manager SAP BASIS and Infrastructure for a global supply chain management firm whose clients are HP, Microsoft, IBM and Compaq.

Rajesh is a Computer Engineer and spent more than a decade in the software profession with good project management experience in large-scale ERP/ e-business projects. As an accomplished speaker, Rajesh has delivered ERP, e-business project management training in USA, India and Germany. Other responsibilities include: the Vice Chair of Technology for the B2B Technology Group.

Development of the e-Business Project Management Discipline.

The development of an e-business project management discipline has been one of the bright spots throughout these changes. E-business project management is important, because it provides project managers with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage the implementation of an e-business technology, while at the same time advancing the profession forward. The increased interest of project managers in the e-business project management discipline can be attributed to the number of training programs and "certifications" that are being offered by universities and professional associations and the number of Web-based project management tools that are now available.

The e-business project management discipline is in its infancy. As companies increase their use of Internet technologies, it will add new business models and strategies to the skill set and knowledge requirements of the e-business project manager. In addition to an increase in the e-business project manager’s knowledge base, the position of project manager will evolve to more of an executive position, where the project manager will be able to become more active in developing the business strategy for their organizations. (For more information on the role and responsibilities of the e-business project manager, read Chapter 2.)

Future Direction of The e-Business Market

The e-business market is constantly changing. Its continued maturity is primarily related to companies finding new ways of using Internet technology and the growth in the capabilities and functionality of Internet applications. In the near term, the e-business market will continue to go through the "cleansing" phase, where companies with poor business models, management teams, and market positions will cease to exist and close operations. Following this period, the companies that remain will find ways to further refine their operations through the use of the Internet. For example, many e-business solutions today lack full back integration with legacy-based systems, but in the very near future, this will no longer be a problem. The solution will come from both technology vendors, such as BEA, i2, and Weblogics, and business professionals that understand these issues and what is needed to solve them.

In addition to the above, advanced technology architectures will be developed to further reduce the time and cost of deploying e-business solutions. (For a detailed analysis of the various technology architectures, read Chapters 11 and 12.)