Six ways to ensure your IT budget doesn't bomb

So you think you have the IT budget covered? So did many others, who nonetheless found themselves explaining missteps that cost hundreds of thousands - even millions - of dollars. Here are six stupid mistakes they learned not to make.

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6. Don't consult; assume. Even if your budget smarts are top-notch, other company leaders can cause you trouble.

When a handful of executives devised a plan to expand Frontier Airlines by adding a new regional airline, the group decided to keep its plans quiet, says Bob Rapp, who was the company's vice president and CIO in 2006.

So the group didn't consult with Rapp, who reported to the chief financial officer, until after the board had approved the project and its financing. That's when Rapp saw that the technology assumptions were way off.

The plan didn't include an industry-specific system operations control center, a Federal Aviation Administration requirement for the new division. The cost: About US$1 million to build the facility and then another US$1 million per year to operate it, according to Rapp.

Thereafter, he began reporting directly to the CEO to help prevent similar oversights.

Pratt is a Computerworld contributing writer in the US. Contact her at: marykpratt@verizon.net.