Introduction

In Chapter 2, we discussed what corporate strategy has to do with IT. Now we re going to look at how corporate politics impact IT projects and project management. As an IT project manager, you often lack formal, organizational authority to accomplish your projects objectives. This means that you have to know how your organization works, both formally (organizational chart) and informally (politics) in order to get the best possible results. Politics affect which projects get priority or get funded; politics impact which people and resources are assigned to projects, and politics certainly affect whether or not projects are successful. In this chapter, you ll learn why and how politics operate in organizations and you ll gain insight and knowledge that will help you navigate corporate politics more effectively. If you re anxious to jump right into IT project management, you can skip ahead to Chapter 5, but be sure to come back and read these first four chapters. They introduce you to critical concepts about the environment that surrounds all IT projects and will help your IT projects be more successful.

Some people thrive on corporate politics; others (including many in IT) would rather chew nails than get involved in company politics. The truth is, if you work for any company small, medium or large politics are a fact of life. Rather than hiding your head in the sand, you can actually learn how to handle politics with confidence and grace (well, most of the time). If you hate everything about corporate politics, this...