Paper (22): How Important is IT Project Management for Olympic Games Success? Rio 2016 A Case Study
Abstract: Information technology has an important role in many businesses and in Olympic Games is not different, but when we think about its project management immediately a question comes up. How much important is it project management for Olympic Games success? Information technology department in general has the second biggest budget in the Olympic Games Organizing Committees (OGOCs). Due to the improvements and sports and consequently their dependency from technology, we can say that is almost impossible to realize games without a huge technology set of products and services. Considering as well, that technology is one of the infrastructure areas that provides services to the others functional areas, manage professionally a portfolio of projects became mandatory, not only for technology but also to the entire committee in order to achieve the games organization goals. Olympic games is a mega-project which needs to be planned and managed based on recognized best project management practices. Scope, time, cost, and quality are the minimal aspects that must be managed for functional areas in an integrated manner. Manage it projects it is not an easy thing, especially because it projects are the ones with the highest rate of failure, which means that usually these project do not achieve their goals and realize the benefits planned.
Biography: Cluster Venue Technology Manager at Rio 2016 Olympic Games Organizing Committee. Project Management Professor at Veiga de Almeida, IBMEC and Castelo Branco Universities in Brazil. Project Management Professor at Central European Management Institute. Ph.D. Student in Management at Business Research Unit (ISCTE-IUL – Lisbon). I hold a master degree in management systems and a degree in computer science. PMP, PMI-RMP, CSM and MCTS certification holder. PMBOK revision volunteer. Career developed in Information Technology field in many kinds of companies, like as: Rio2016, Vale, Petrobras, Bank Caixa Economica Federal, Sul America Insurance, Rio2007 Pan American Organizing Committee, Alterdata Software, and others. Project Management researcher and speaker. Research interest in Service Dominant Logic, IT Project Management, IT Management, Mega-projects, Mega Events Project Management, Management Practices and Strategies applied in developing countries.
