© David L. Pells, 2008, published here December 2010 with permission.

Introduction | A Broad Definition of IT 
1.  Massive Investment in IT Worldwide | 2.  The Natural Project Orientation of IT
3.  IT Project Failures | 4.  The Increasing Complexity of IT Programs & Projects
5.  Rapidly Changing Technologies | 6.  The Information Age - The Third Wave has Arrived
7.  IT Crosses Over Industries, Organizations, Programs & Projects
Why These Trends Will Continue! | What it Means to the Project Management Profession

7.  IT Crosses Over Industries, Organizations, Programs & Projects

Last but not least, like project management itself, IT now crosses all industries, organizations, programs and projects. Perhaps researchers and leaders in the PM field have overlooked this fact, but I can think of few if any projects that do not include elements of information processing and communication. And for many projects in many different industries, the IT element can be substantial. This is why IT has been so difficult to categorize by industry within the PM profession - even though IT services is an industry, and various sub-elements of IT have their own industries (semiconductors, OEM devices, computers, telecoms, etc.).

IT is also used in all other industries from agriculture, banking, chemicals and construction to mining, oil & gas, petrochemicals, space, transportation, water and zebra habitat monitoring. This may be the biggest reason of all - but it is really a result of reason #6, The Information Age, combined with globalization (larger markets, linked economies, international communications and global competition). IT projects are everywhere.

6. The Information Age - The Third Wave has Arrive  6. The Information Age - The Third Wave has Arrive

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