ARTICLE: Why SAM Projects Fail - Lack of Clear Responsibilities (Part 3/8)

ARTICLE: Why SAM Projects Fail - Lack of Clear Responsibilities (Part 3/8)

Why do Software Asset Management projects fail?

This article has been kindly contributed by Phara McLachlan of Animus Solutions.

The ITIL Guide to SAM highlights several possible problems that may arise when implementing Software Asset Management projects. In this series we look at some of those issues and how organisations can address them using Phara’s hands-on experience.

In this, the third of an eight part series, we look at Software Asset Management projects that fail due to lack of clear responsibilities.

Part One – Conflict with Decentralisation Culture
Part Two – Lack of Senior Management Support
Part Three – Lack of Clear Responsibilities
Part Four – Customized vs. Off-the-shelf SAM Software
Part Five – Poor Communication
Part Six – Lack of End User Support
Part Seven – Underestimating Software Recognition
Part Eight – Legal Requirements

Lack of Clear Responsibilities

Sadly, it is commonplace in most organizations for people to be confused about their responsibilities.

In most organizations, the common causes of confusion stem from lack of structure, communication, policies and procedures, standardization or enforcement of the existing processes.

In the case of software asset management or even just plain ITAM, more than 75% of companies are out of compliance due to the ‘lack of clear responsibilities.’

Let me give you an example. While an IT manager is charged with tracking assets, he/she may not be dealing with the actual compliance based on the vendor’s terms and conditions. Who is? No one knows because there is no policy or procedure. Now, let’s say the IT manager is only working with his/her own group and each group has their own person in charge of managing IT assets. Well, I think you get the picture…

An organization needs structure as well as a structured plan that clearly delineates roles, responsibilities and goals. This is especially true within corporations that are experiencing major change, such as mergers, acquisitions or change management.

Animus Solutions is a management and IT consulting firm based in Tampa, Florida. The company provides best practices consulting and implementation services to accomplish IT asset management, software license compliance, ITIL-based IT security and services management goals. Animus can be found here.

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