I3M Fall 2008 Symposium
November 20, 2008
Waterfront Activities Center, University of Washington
8 am – 6 pm

According to most estimates, information systems projects succeed slightly more than 20 percent of the time. The Fall 2008 Institute for Innovation in Information Management (I3M) Symposium will help project managers apply lessons learned from successful and unsuccessful examples to ensure their projects succeed—while refocusing efforts on the impact to a business's bottom line.

Michael A. Fors, Director of Strategy in Microsoft’s Mobile Division, will deliver the keynote, “Real-World Project Measurement Portending Success or Doom.” At Microsoft, Fors works with Vice Presidents to set business and engineering strategy.  Fors’s presentation asks the provocative questions, Do projects fail because of project leaders, sponsors, partners, or the project itself? Or, is the failure a symptom of a larger organizational issue?  Project management strategies and measurement within major organizations will be discussed.

University of Washington Information School Assistant Professor Hazel Taylor will also share lessons gleaned from in-depth interviews with experienced project managers as they reflect on the skills most critical to IT project management. Her presentation will incorporate concrete suggestions for developing managers and building learning channels in complex organizations.

In the second half of the Symposium, Taylor will moderate a lively panel discussion, “Views from Industry on Managing Complex Technology Projects.” Panelists include:

·         Christopher Rivinus, Leader of Knowledge Systems  (Parsons Brinckerhoff)

·         Duane Oda, Product Development Chief (Boeing)

·         Rick LeFaivre, Venture Partner (OVP Venture Partners)

·         Peter Wilson, Engineering Director (Google)

·         Neal Myrick, Managing Director of Technology (Casey Family Programs)

About I3M
I3M helps organizations harness the power of information management as a competitive tool. I3M partners with regional and international industry leaders to develop systems and practices that move partners forward: partners set the research agenda, and I3M staff develop highly-customized recommendations and solutions to challenges raised.

The full agenda for the Symposium is available on the I3M web site, at http://depts.washington.edu/iiim/. Registration is free. Register at http://ischool.turnstilesystems.com/ProgramDetail.aspx/I3MFall2008Symposium.

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