CITY LIFE

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, is probably best known for its laid-back beach lifestyle, but the city's IT department has officially gone analytical.

Faced with a daunting list of IT projects, the city was struggling to get a handle on all the efforts. "We have about 20 IT projects ongoing at

Looking to implement a structured and formal approach to project management, the city turned to Vertabase 4. Designed to centralize access to project information and metrics, the software lets users enter information via a range of software applications.

Rolled out to the entire IT department in October 2007, the implementation was aimed at establishing clear ownership, responsibility and transparency for projects.

Officials can now evaluate the status and success of numerous projects at a glance.

And they're gaining some valuable lessons in the process.

"In the past, if a project was late there wasn't much we could learn from it," Mr. Edkin explains. "Now, we're very analytical. We see what's happening and manage accordingly. By providing an effective operational overview for city hall, Vertabase has improved the way we manage our resources."

Based on the success of the IT department, the city plans to roll it out in several other departments.