Agile has compiled data on IT and staffing trends in the Atlanta technology community, and will publish our Q32011 Market Pulse report in the next week. This quarterly report provides information that we have gathered and analyzed regarding IT employment in Metro Atlanta.  It also includes findings from a survey sent to over 300 IT executives in the Atlanta area.

Based on our data and survey results, three things are clear:

1. IT employment in Metro Atlanta is definitely on the rise as overall jobs decline.
2. Atlanta companies want to hire highly skilled IT professionals on a permanent basis.
3. Almost half of the executives who responded to our survey expect increases in IT projects and hiring next year.

Agile’s Market Pulse will be available on our website (www.gotoagile.com), but we’d like to offer you a sneak preview of what’s inside the latest issue:

• The number of IT jobs in Metro Atlanta grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q32011 to 92,433. For the same period, the number of ALL jobs in Metro Atlanta declined 1.4 percent to about 2.23 million.
• Employers are ready and willing to hire top IT talent on a permanent basis; data shows a nearly 70 percent increase in the number of openings for perm IT jobs in Q3 as the number of openings to fill contract positions declined by 30 percent.
• There has been a steady rise in “days to fill” IT positions which may be contributed to employers requiring IT professionals with unique/hard-to-find skills.
• Our survey reveals more than two-thirds of respondents report there were more activities and projects in 2011 than in 2010; more than half of those responded that the increase was between 10-24 percent.
• Half of the respondents expect their activity and project levels in 2012 to be about the same as 2011; 45 percent believe they will be busier in 2012.
• When asked about their biggest challenges in 2012, 40 percent said that “growing my IT organization” was at the top of the list.
• When asked what they believe is required to generate job growth, more than two-thirds stated that cutting or reducing government programs and lessening the tax burden on business is necessary.

Some of the above findings may not surprise you, but some may – especially survey responses from local technology leaders.  We hope you’ll find the information both interesting and useful.

Please check Agile’s web site (www.gotoagile.com) next week for the complete Market Pulse report.

“I’m supposed to design and deliver the IT solution, not get people to use it.”  Sound familiar?  Unfortunately, IT gravitates toward the process and technology aspects of a solution, neglecting the third major aspect – people!

It’s an undeniable truth that “a successful project doesn’t equal a successful change.”  CIO’s must be mindful that a project delivered on time and on budget is just two-thirds the equation. If organizational behaviors don’t shift to absorb the IT solution, what’s the point of the project?  In other words, if you neglect the people side of the project, you’ll only deliver a partial solution.

An often overlooked aspect of an IT project is solution adoption.  No one within the enterprise seems to want this daunting responsibility, yet we all tout ROI and project success.  We tend to resist the people aspects of projects.  Awareness?  Socialization?  Institutionalization?  Not things IT spends a lot of time thinking about.  However, to deliver a successful, sustainable solution, IT must consider and plan how the technology  will be accepted, integrated and utilized by organization.

Instead of forcing the change technology creates, affect the resistance.  Here are six key strategic moves every CIO and project team needs to drive organizational change.  Your project success depends on it.

1. Solidify top management support, both from IT and business segments.  They must buy into the short and long term vision, and they must support short term pain for long term gain.  It is management who must raise the cost of status quo and make value visible, clearly communicating why change is necessary and why change must take place now.
2. Meet one-on-one with each key stakeholder from the business to socialize the change.  What are their concerns?  How could this initiative help them?  The idea is to get each person talking about any potential resistance and to build genuine trust.  This step may take some time, but it is vital.
3. Create a committee consisting of key stakeholders.  The committee needs to be closely involved with the change and have a voice through the process.  Engagement helps ensure short and long-term buy in (not just initial, superficial support).  Key stakeholders need to be allies or moderate supporters, at the very least.
4. Make the change incremental to demonstrate wins.  Which areas are most supportive and change-ready?  Start with a focused scope and iron out any issues with the process, technology, learning curve, etc.  Success stories help other areas of the business get on board, recognizing benefits over pains of the process.  Have a story to tell and have others to tell the story for you.  Evolution is easier than revolution.
5. Leverage awareness campaigns to socialize the change.  Let people know what’s on the way, how it affects them, when it’s coming their way, benefits they can expect, and what you ask of them.  Stay ahead of rumors by providing enough information early and often.
6. Identify and use change agents to act as your “feet on the street” and the eyes and ears of the project.  Change agents are close to the people affected by the change.  They leverage formal and informal communication channels (hallway, break room, over the cube) to dispel myths, address concerns, propagate a unified change message, and communicate back any issues or concerns.

Projects are about impact.  IT must stretch beyond the design and delivery role to inspire the organization: align, engage, mobilize, anchor, and sustain the change.

About Agile Solutions: Agile’s CIO Advisory services can help you consider all the complexities of a project or initiative – the big picture and the tactical execution.  Agile Solutions serves as a trusted advisor to the CIO, allowing them to support the business goals, reduce costs, introduce smarter processes, juggle conflicting interests, and navigate human capital.