All retail technology projects are not created equal.

Friday 4th May saw a group of IT and multichannel directors from a great selection of retailers come together to help me judge the BT Retail Week Technology Awards.

While I can’t give any hints as to the decisions they made, I can tell you that there was no shortage of debate as they came up with their list of winners.

There are massive transformational IT projects, the kind that make the judges wince when they read the entry, and impress them with the results achieved from complex initiatives that can easily overrun or go massively over budget – or both.

Then there are smaller, simpler but massively effective projects and point solutions. While these might take weeks or months to develop and deploy – rather than years – the impact they can have on the business shouldn’t be taken for granted. A few of these really caught the judges’ eye last week.

And finally there are the projects completed by small IT departments. Many of you will know what it’s like to work in a small team with limited resources, trying to deliver innovation that even the largest retailers struggle with. Yet it is amazing what a small team with a ‘can do’ attitude can achieve. In all the years I’ve been involved with the awards, it is often these entries that delight the judges the most.   

To view the shortlist and for more information on the awards ceremony visit the BT Retail Week Technology Awards site