Kapcsolat Kapcsolat
Close

Kapcsolatfelvétel

Észrevételed, kérdésed, javaslatod lenne? Küldd el nekünk!

“The Dominance of IT in Corporate Project Portfolios – A Discussion with Miklós Gondolovics, Head of IT Project Office at Richter Gedeon”

The Dynamic Evolution of the IT Sector in Corporate Project Portfolios

It’s probably no surprise that the IT sector is currently one of the most dynamically developing areas in corporate project portfolios. Today, information technology is becoming increasingly important and significant in many places. Companies now rely more on IT systems and digital tools than they did a few years ago. In this article, we’ll provide a brief overview of how the IT sector can perform in a large multinational, international company. If you’re curious about what has happened in this area over the past few years, how IT can currently work with other sectors within a company, or what experts envision for the future, it’s definitely worth reading this post or listening to the latest episode of the PMO Club podcast, where Zoltán Sándor, CEO of Profexec Services, interviews Miklós Gondolovics, head of the IT Project Office at Richter Gedeon, about this topic.

EXPERIENCES FROM RECENT YEARS

Over the past 6-7 years, the role of IT in companies and projects has gradually increased. The most dynamic growth occurred in 2022 and 2023, and now this area is almost unavoidable. At Richter, software solutions are most needed in the investment program, and in building engineering and technology.

Five years ago, the international pharmaceutical company operated in isolated silos, but this system has been restructured during its development.

A WELL-FUNCTIONING SYSTEM

At the Richter Gedeon IT Project Office, the established practice is to act as a service provider within the company’s network. The initiative always comes from Richter and is then channeled to IT. Who becomes the main driver of a given project depends on many factors. Typically, the company handles the preparation, and IT takes over the driver role during implementation.

Interestingly, they think in terms of an eight-year corporate strategy, which has four pillars. This strategy significantly impacts IT, as tasks related to these pillars are ranked in their system and prioritized accordingly. This ranking rarely changes. Instead, the portfolio composition can shift, with projects potentially being added or removed, even those not mentioned during the annual planning. In such cases, a swap solution is implemented, considering current capacities.

THE CURRENT STATE OF IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The role of IT project management has also changed in recent years. Four years ago, the pharmaceutical company operated in a dual mode, but now IT project managers (PMs) work more on the business side, as there is generally no project management there. This change naturally required PMs to adapt to the new area’s specifics to be accepted on the business side. However, the qualities needed for this role have not changed. These remain essential soft skills, good communication abilities, high-level English proficiency, and flexible handling of cultural differences.

When a manager is involved in a project varies by company. At Richter, PMs are brought in from the tender phase, leading the process and even participating in evaluating offers. This approach has many advantages. Once the project starts, the manager knows exactly who they will work with and what budget they will have, resulting in better-developed risk management than if the PM were involved later.

Finally, it’s essential to highlight what generally distinguishes an IT project manager from a non-IT project manager. It’s beneficial to understand networks and system development, but these are not the main criteria. The most important is to understand organizational operations and fit into them. A good IT project manager is not rigid, is flexible, quickly adapts to different situations, and is persistent since it takes at least a year for a new PM to start a project. It’s a highly diverse and complex role, but once a manager understands the processes, they will be a successful IT project manager.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND SPONSORS

In projects, IT resources are not the bottleneck, as this has been properly scaled over the years. The first step is to estimate the necessary resources from the business side at the project’s start, requiring sponsor approval. The project manager’s task is to control these resources. If any problems arise, an escalation process begins, and the project’s deadline may be postponed.

The head of the Richter IT Project Office has also observed positive changes in resource management, with fewer projects launched in recent years, avoiding capacity issues.

IT projects generally have high-level sponsorship. Typically, there are multiple sponsors from different areas, and projects usually align with their strategies. The standard is to have both IT and business sponsors for a project, but there are more complex compositions, making communication between parties crucial.

WHAT THE FUTURE MAY BRING

The role of the IT sector is likely to continue growing at the same pace in the coming years. For most companies, a clear goal for 2024 is to introduce and use AI and robotic operations. At Richter, they are already examining how these new technologies can be utilized in various areas, with some processes already automated in their systems.

Fel
All rights reserved! © 2025 Profexec Kft. |   Privacy Policy
All rights reserved! © 2025 Profexec Kft.
Privacy Policy