PR Newswire, March 31, 2010, Wednesday

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PR Newswire

March 31, 2010, Wednesday

New Title From Course Technology PTR Helps Companies Avoid IT Project Failure

Book Serves Important Need in Current Economy as IT Professionals Must Complete IT Projects on Time and Under Budget

DATELINE: BOSTON, March 31

BODY:
BOSTON, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Course Technology PTR, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of professional, technical and reference materials, today announced the publication of Why New Systems Fail: An Insider's Guide to Successful IT Projects. The book provides those involved with IT projects - CIOs, IT project managers, business managers and consultants - with the tools, tips and insights they need to ensure the successful roll out of new IT systems.

Organizations invest tens of thousands -- even millions -- of dollars in new software solutions, often only to have them fail or not produce expected results. Research indicates that three in five new IT projects either miss their dead-lines, fail to produce expected results and/or exceed their initial budgets. Why New Systems Fail addresses why so many IT projects fail and discusses ways in which IT professionals can prevent this from happening.

Written by independent consultant Phil Simon, who has more than a decade of experience assisting domestic and international organizations in every aspect of system implementations, activations, and ongoing maintenance, this book includes detailed, real-life case studies and examples, and lessons from actual system implementations.

"Now more than ever, IT professionals are expected to activate new systems on time and under budget. During dif-ficult economic times, organizations cannot afford system failures and must minimize IT-related risks," said author Phil Simon. "Before embarking on any enterprise-wide projects, senior executives, project managers, implementation team members and consultants should read Why New Systems Fail to learn how they can avoid these risks."

Why New Systems Fail covers all types of system implementations - from custom built platforms to commer-cial-off-the-shelf (COTS) applications. Whether it be a large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a cus-tomer relationship management (CRM) system, or the implementation of another specialty system, this new book pro-vides specific tools, tips and insight from real-world situations. Specific topics covered within the book include:

. Determining if an organization is ready to implement a new system

. Selecting the best consultancy

. Overcoming data, technology and people obstacles

. Identifying the causes of system failures

. Effectively utilizing consultants

Why New Systems Fail is also ideal for the college classroom, including MBA, MIS, Human Resources, Organiza-tional Behavior, Computer Science and Accounting/Finance programs, and serves as a nice balance to more theoretical texts.

For more information on Why New Systems Fail: An Insider's Guide to Successful IT Projects, or to purchase the book, please visit courseptr.cengage.com. To access a video of author Phil Simon discussing the book, please visit http://www.philsimonsystems.com/books/why-new-systems-fail/book-trailer/.

About the Author
Phil Simon is an independent technology consultant and the author of The Next Wave of Technologies. He began consulting in 2000 after six years of related corporate experience. He has cultivated more than 40 clients from a variety of industries, including health care, manufacturing, retail, and the public sector. Phil has assisted both domestic and international organizations in every aspect of system implementations, activations, and ongoing maintenance. When he's not consulting, he speaks on matters related to organizations' use of different technologies and writes for a number of technology-oriented media outlets about the intersection of technology and business. He has a bachelor's in policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University and a master's in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University.

About Cengage Learning and Course Technology PTR

Cengage Learning is a leading provider of innovative teaching, learning and research solutions for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. Course Technology PTR, was formed in 2001 as the retail division of Course Technology. It is comprised of the former imprints Premier Press, Muska Lipman, ArtistPro and Charles River Media. The company provides learning solutions for professionals interested in learning more about business, music technology, game development, animation, graphic design, programming or certification. For more information please visit www.cengage.com or www.courseptr.cengage.com.

CONTACT:Lindsay Brown, Director, Corporate Communications of Cengage Learning, +1-203-965-8634, lind-say.brown@cengage.com

URL: http://www.prnewswire.com

LOAD-DATE: April 1, 2010