How does your organization view asset management: Project vs. Program?
As a consulting company, we are often brought into organizations that have already tried to set up their ITAM program but need some help. One of the first things we try to determine is whether the organization views ITAM as a Program or a Project. This determination drives how we approach the structure of our engagement.
You may ask, what’s the difference? Why does it matter? The difference between these two approaches to ITAM is very simple.
Focus on an ITAM program indicates a strategically thinking organization. The ITAM program requires a significant investment of time and resources. IT Asset Managers that implement an ITAM program have a roadmap for continuous improvements, a staffing plan to manage the program, a defined set of roles and responsibilities, policies and procedures to drive compliance and an appropriate toolset to automate the discovery of assets and maintenance of an asset repository/CMDB.
The ITAM project is less focused on the long term and tries instead to solve an immediate problem. ITAM projects are very tactical in nature. Examples might be the implementation of a barcoding solution, or focusing on one discipline such as Software Asset Management without addressing the underlying hardware. Without knowing the big picture for an organization its very difficult to effectively set up an ITAM project for success.
Knowing the difference between a program and a project can help determine how invested your organization is in its ITAM organization.
Check out these tips on effective asset management.
