Some of the biggest and most frequent issues that our projects run into nowadays are over software licencing, usually they are details that were not discovered during the business case process (if there was one…) that would then require significant extra spend to be compliant. This is both MS licences and other suppliers’ ones, at the server and the client levels.
It seems to me that software licencing has become incredibly complex, even moreso with technologies such as Citrix, VMs, and BYOD and large numbers of users with a large mixture of different systems in use (we have circa 4000 desktops and circa 60 main bought-in systems). What does your organisation do by way of managing software licencing? Do you have an in-house expert (or a team of them)?
Also it is rather clear that PM processes do not tend to include this specifically. How do you address this in your projects? For instance is this a specific Business Case/ PID topic or a gateway during the initiation process? Do you train your Project Managers in this topic? Do you actually find problems with licencing?
All thoughts and ideas appreciated Saving Changes...
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
It is simple: you have to implement configuration management at organizational level as in any other type of industries. About project specific, you can search for the PMI Standard on Project configuration management. The project manager is on charge of project activities that are included inside the project plan. Subject Matter Experts are on charge to define the project activities. So, if no activity about software licencing exist then the project manager will not notice that. Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
You should be able to rely on your organization's procurement group to help you through the mazes of software licensing. They should be the experts.
You can always request to have a procurement officer be assigned to your project, on a part-time basis, to help get you going. Saving Changes...
Thanks- that's an interesting idea Stephane, although our procurement is outsourced to a 3rd party company, and they do not have any specific software knowledge, instead they mainly offer a bidding/commercials/OJEU service.
Sergio, yes the question is around those SMEs - do organisations have Licencing SMEs, do you train your PMs in the licencing field, do your project processes mandate that you seek signoff from them at any stage, etc?
Best regards Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
That's unfortunate, Tim. We are an Oracle Partner and Reseller. Our procurement folks know the ins and outs of Oracle's byzantine licensing requirements. We always include them in our projects. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Now I am working inside a hugh organization. So, there is a business unit created to do that mainly because to avoid legal risk and mainly lost of reputation because non compliance. I worked on the other side of the desk by selling this type of products too. But let me say that when I worked in small companies we ever use configuration management process to avoid any type of problems and to prevent failures. All related to software and hardware is inside the assets management field. As I mentioned, while is very common on other industries sometime is missing in software and IT industry. The problem is hugh now that "phylosofies" like BYOD are in place and because to day is critical to link configuration management/assets management with security compliance (any type of security). I have a blog post inside projectmanagement.com about a practical method we use to identify stakeholders based on enterprise architecture that was pubished as best practice. But forget about my blog post, the way I found after years to assure that all project stakeholders are identified is understand that each initiative you are participating as project management will impact THE WHOLE (sorry about the capital letter) organization so you have to have in your mind the big picture to identify the project stakeholders (by the way, the project team have to do that). That is not new but is most of the time missing by the project managers. It is a change of mind. Saving Changes...
Yes, I think it would be good for us to develop our own business unit or expertise to deal with this. I would think that this expertise may actually pay for itself in the efficiency savings that it identifies too. We could then include these people in the early stages of projects to give their approval. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
If you are thinking about that then my recommendation is: you need to find an strategic reason. Strategic means you are creating a new function inside your organization so after define it you will decide if the function will be assigned to a new business unit or not. That is, you will modify your enterprise architecture (components and relations) and because the architecture follows the strategy you have to be aware on that. "No pain, no gain" so you have to find "the pain" your organization is suffering because no have this process implemented today. In software and IT you can find a lot of reasons to put this in place. Remember that all the environment is composed from other subprocess (release management, assets management, etc.) Saving Changes...
In most resealable size organisation I have see a department or a ressource that would handle all the software licensing. I have use their expertise sot evaluate cost for projects. Saving Changes...
