Are PeopleSoft IT people starting to shrink?
I saw two sets of statistics recently. Not to worry though, neither set of findings indicate that PeopleSoft IT people are either losing weight or getting a lot shorter. The first statistic shows that the number of Computer Science graduates shrunk significantly from 2000 to 2007. Another set of statistics project that the total number of IT jobs will be increasing by substantial percentages through 2016.
The need for technical professionals is growing and the pipeline is stagnating. This fact was laid out in real terms in an article in the December issue of Computerworld.
Today, companies are suffering from a shortage of technology professionals and baby boomer retirements will only add to the problem.
“The pipeline is inadequate for IT professionals,” said Jerry Luftman, who is involved in academics and business as associate dean at the Stevens Institute of Technology’s Howe School of Technology Management in Hoboken, N.J., and vice president for academic affairs at the Society for Information Management in Chicago.
Another Computerworld article published earlier this year referenced a study predicting the computer science graduating class of 2007 smallest this decade. In 2007, only roughly 8000 computer science majors graduated from accredited schools according to the Computer Research Association. In 2000, the number was closer to 16,000.
After seven years of declines, the number of new CS majors in fall 2007 was half of what it was in fall 2000 (15,958 versus 7,915).
Eight thousand is a pretty small number for such a large economy even though we know that many IT professionals historically have come from other non-conventional sources. We know, too, that more than just computer skills is needed to be successful in our industry. Nevertheless, think of it as a forward indicator like a canary in a coal mine.
On the other side of the equation is the fact that a number of IT occupations will be showing big increases in employment numbers between now and 2016. The Department of Labor projections show increases for various IT titles ranging from 28.2 to 53.4%. These percentages translate easily into hundreds of thousands of new positions. Look for more details on this trend in future posts.
Upgrade all of PeopleSoft all at once?
Should your upgrade be done in two large steps or all at once? I participated recently in an upgrade roundtable session, ably led by John Hoebler of Drivestream, at the Quest conference in Atlanta. The audience included both functional users and technical developers. For the most part everybody was exceedingly nice to everyone else. The suggestion was made to split the upgrade into two distinct projects:
1) Upgrade PeopleTools: PeopleTools 8.4x -> PeopleTools 8.5
2) Upgrade the Applications: HRMS 8.8 -> HCM 9.1
The technical folks liked the idea of a separate PeopleTools upgrade. Their main rational: getting the technical portion done first would make it easier to upgrade the application modules later. Also, the technical job would be easier to do without having to worry about making all the new application features and functions work properly as well.
The functionals were not too keen on the idea of a phase 1 PeopleTools upgrade with phase 2 PeopleSoft application upgrades to follow. Firstly, I detected an attitude in the room that I have heard verbalized before at various clients on a variety of projects.
Phase 2 is where projects go to die
Second, those experienced users in the room know that even PeopleTools only projects need extensive testing. Possibly, they have heard the phrase – these changes should be transparent to the users – a few times in their careers. Both the PeopleTools upgrade and the application upgrade would require exhaustive testing and a high level of functional effort. Can you afford not to test Payroll?
Finally, the funding question was raised. In these days it can be hard to get funding for one project. Justifying funding for two separate upgrade projects could be difficult indeed.
What do you think? One step or two?
To the Rescue! Entrepreneurs over 50
Older entrepreneurs could be the key to saving the economy. The health of the nation’s economy rests on the successful endeavors of entrepreneurs. And many of the newest and most capable entrepreneurs are seasoned professionals in their fields. The LA Times writes:
“A new wave of baby boomer entrepreneurs likely to be unleashed by the current economic turmoil will be an important force in eventually pushing the economy onto safer ground, some experts say.”
“A late-September poll by the Kauffman Foundation, which promotes entrepreneurship, showed that 70% of respondents agreed that the success and health of the economy depended on the success of entrepreneurs…”
In these times it takes more than a good idea to lead a successful project, deliver a successful product, or start a successful small business. Older workers are more likely to have the depth of knowledge and the abundance of resources needed to meet difficult cost constraints and still achieve success. It has been and always will be less expensive to get the job done right the first time.
“People in the older age brackets are much more likely to successfully start companies than younger people,”…
“The older you are, if you are still in the workforce, the more likely you are to be an entrepreneur,” said Ed Rogoff, the academic director of Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Columbia University and a management professor who has studied older entrepreneurs.”