Friday, September 08, 2006
- StartSmart Consulting
Why do some IT organizations create unprecedented shareholder value, while others earn the contempt of their business leaders? It is no secret that aligning IT with business improves IT ROI, what is often in doubt is how to make it happen. Can you say with certainty that your IT is aligned with business? Can you prove it? If improving IT ROI is an imperative for you, read on. This paper will show you how to improve ROI by 10% or more…
Crafting a Vision for IT (Monday, August 21, 2006) What is the purpose of a vision statement for IT? This article examines how a vision can accelerate the business value generated by an IT Organization.
IT Strategy: IT Cannot be a Profit Center (Friday, September 08, 2006) IT Strategy: Of late, there is a lot of emphasis on IT ROI. While this is commendable, extending this argument to convert the IT Organization into a profit center is taking it to another extreme. For example, are HR, finance, and marketing profit centers? Why not?
IT Strategy Course (Friday, September 08, 2006) At the end of the day, most business leaders agree that alignment is critical, but they don't know how to achieve that goal. This course discusses the challenges of aligning IT with business in depth and presents a differentiated approach and framework.
IT Strategy Framework (Monday, September 25, 2006) IT Strategy requires a process and a framework. The former provides the steps and the latter the toolkit. Together they help an organization get to an IT Strategy that maximizes IT ROI. This article addresses the latter.
Managing IT Course (Friday, September 29, 2006) Whether you are a CxO or a programmer, getting the "big picture" on IT is critical to your success. But getting your arms around IT without a structured proven framework is like boiling the ocean. The Managing IT For Shareholder Value online training course solves this problem by explaining in detail where and how IT can add value to your business. This is the critical first step to bring your IT efforts in line with your business needs.
What is IT Strategy? (Saturday, October 14, 2006) There are many definitions of IT Strategy. Which one is true?
Help! We are being treated as a cost center! (Wednesday, October 18, 2006) Let’s face it. An IT organization that has to justify its budget as a “cost center” has lost the respect of the business community somewhere along the line.
Why IT ROI doesn't matter? (Friday, November 03, 2006) Does IT ROI matter? Great many intelligent people are spending sleepless nights and countless dollars calculating IT ROI. The author argues that they are wasting their time and shareholder dollars!
Putting IT Strategy in Context (Wednesday, November 08, 2006) Often, the emphasis is on creating an IT Strategy. Before you do, understand the context of IT Strategy i.e. what is its role and scope.
7 Steps to Business and IT Alignment (Monday, November 20, 2006) No business will ever reach the goal of “business and IT alignment”. Should this discourage you from pursuing business and IT alignment? NO! It is a worthy goal to pursue. Indeed, it is a critical one to pursue. You might never reach alignment but you can take steps to get ever closer. This requires a process. Often, we ignore the fact that business and IT alignment is a process. This process does not have a starting point nor does it have an end. It is a series of “learn and do” cycles that incrementally get towards alignment. Let me explain.
IT Alignment Maturity Model (Wednesday, December 06, 2006) One of the toughest questions to answer is: is my business is alignment with IT?
Prof. Luftman tries to answer this question in this paper originally published in 2000.
IT Strategist's Dilemma (Saturday, December 09, 2006) Every strategist faces the "stay the course" or "cut and run" choice, at least once in their careers. How do you decide which course is the correct one? More, importantly, is this even a correct or complete set of choices?
IT Strategy Template (Friday, January 12, 2007) Enclosed is a simple template to create an IT Strategy for your organization. This is intended to be the starting point not a definitive or exhaustive workbook on creating an IT Strategy.
It's not just IT, it is Your Brand (Monday, January 22, 2007) When we talk about "business and IT alignment", we often forget about the elephant in the room - the impact of IT on brand. This article discusses the connection and provides examples of how IT can help or hurt your brand.
7 things a CxO should know about eBusiness (Tuesday, February 06, 2007) After over a decade, eBusiness is still an enigma. Companies are still not using it to the best of their or its ability. Why? Because business leaders are still not sure about the nature and capabilities of eBusiness. The author debunks 7 myths about eBusiness.
7 Signs of Trouble in Paradise (Monday, February 26, 2007) Ever wonder what happens when business and IT are not aligned? Well, like most other things in life, there are symptoms of misalignment. Monitoring them and analyzing them can help you avert disaster.
Buzzword: IT Capability (Monday, March 19, 2007) What is IT Capability? If you want to understand why some IT organizations create more value than others, it is imperative to understand this buzzword.
It's the Business Model, Stupid! (Monday, March 26, 2007) When talking about business and IT alignment, our focus always goes to business strategy and its alignment with IT strategy. This thought process recognizes a fundamental truth. Unfortunately, it only gets part of the picture.
A Framework For IT Value (Monday, April 02, 2007) In this series, we will discuss IT Value - from its definition to a framework to measure and track it
Part II: A Framework for IT Value (Monday, April 09, 2007) Last week, we lay the foundation for a discussion on IT Value. This week, we look at specific areas where IT creates value.
Part III: A Framework for IT Value (Monday, April 23, 2007) Last week, we focused on revenues. This week, we look at the costs in the IT value equation.
Part IV: A Framework For IT Value (Monday, April 30, 2007) Last week, we discussed the cost dimension of IT Value. This week, we will discuss the time to market dimension.
Part V: A Framework for IT Value (Monday, May 14, 2007) Last week, we discussed the time to market dimension of IT Value. This week, we will discuss the quality dimension.
Focus on Customer Service (Monday, May 14, 2007) Is it time to relearn the no.1 rule of business? Some airline companies seem to have gone back to school. Unfortunately, this was an expensive education because their customers took them there!
The Importance of Risk Management (Monday, June 25, 2007) A very good discussion on the importance of risk management. The content is rudimentary but the discussion fundamental to IT Governance.
Kiss and Make Up (Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500) Industrial manufacturers often have strained relationships with their IT organizations because manufacturers demand better IT support while simultaneously targeting IT for not cutting costs. Some companies have successfully emerged from this predicament using a lean, best practice model which we call "the 1 percent IT organization." This means IT has a cost structure approaching 1 percent of revenue. An IT organization that can transform its operating model to act as both cost center and strategic enabler will be poised to manage both the cyclicality of the present and the growth needs of the future.
Is Your Company World Class in IT? (Monday, July 09, 2007) Metrics make us feel secure because of the implicit promise of control. However, metrics are as meaningful as the spin surrounding them!
Measuring IT Value Using Intel's Business Value Index (Friday, August 17, 2007) Want to measure the value of IT? Intel has proposed a solution based upon its "Business Value Index." Attached is an introduction to the methodology
Avoiding the Alignment Trap (Sunday, September 09, 2007) Alignment is an issue but are you focused on the right strategy to fix it?
Enabling the Strategy Focused Organization (Monday, January 14, 2008) Is IT Value compromised because of the strained relationship between business and IT? How can the CIO overcome this challenge?
Overview of Function Point Analysis (Monday, January 21, 2008) IT Strategies fail on poor execution. Function point analysis is a tool to make better implementation decisions before money is spent on them! Good overview of the tool and approach
A Framework for IT Investment Management (Monday, January 21, 2008) A framework for IT Investment Management - also covers the process and maturity model. Must Read!
IT Powered Growth (Monday, January 21, 2008) How to pull out of an information technology tailspin!
IT Strategy: Does IT Matter? (Monday, February 04, 2008) This paper presents results from investment in IT at a macro economic level. Proof positive that IT Matters? You decide.
Measuring eGov ROI (Tuesday, February 05, 2008) An interesting discussion on eGov ROI. Lessons learnt can be applied to business. Good read!
IT Strategist as a Race Car Driver? (Tuesday, February 12, 2008) Learning from Mario Andretti sounds like fun but what has that got to do with IT Strategy? Read on!
Mission Impossible: Demonstrating the Value of IT (Monday, February 25, 2008) CIOs are caught in a vicious circle of "cost cutting" begetting more cost cutting expectation! How can you get out front and demonstrate IT's value?
Measuring Information Productivity (Monday, March 03, 2008) Excellent paper on IT value measurement. This framework powered Baseline's 500. Very informative.
Influences on IT Strategy (Monday, March 03, 2008) Excellent overview of IT Strategy and things that have an influence on its outcome. Must read!
IT Strategy For Business Value (Monday, March 10, 2008) The paper presents a framework for developing an IT Strategy for business value.
IT Strategy Framework with SOA (Monday, March 10, 2008) A very good presentation that takes IT Strategy to solutions architecture using SOA. Good read!
Developing an IS/IT Strategy (Monday, March 17, 2008) A very good presentation on developing an IT Strategy. Must Read!
A Framework for Developing IT Strategy (Monday, March 17, 2008) A very good discussion on developing IT Strategy including detailed steps and explanations. Must Read!
IT Strategy for the Law Firm (Monday, March 17, 2008) A presentation on the challenges facing CIOs at law firms and how to create an IT Strategy to overcome them.
Cracking the IT Value Code (Monday, March 24, 2008) Does IT Spending Matter? The answer is an emphatic no. Then what does? Read on...
Understanding the Value of IT (Monday, March 24, 2008) Understanding the IT Value equation is critical to making IT Decisions. This article provides guidance using the education industry.
Managing IT For Value (Monday, May 12, 2008) "We conclude that no existing method is suitable for assessing the business value created by IT assets." Read On...
Managing for Shareholder Value in difficult times (Monday, June 02, 2008) Is there "managing" to anything else? Read this excellent discussion on how everything in an enterprise should be managed.
Beyond EVA (Monday, June 23, 2008) A good discussion on EVA and how to plug its shortcomings.
The History and Future of Value Management (Monday, July 07, 2008) An excellent presentation on measuring and managing "value" - discusses various frameworks. MUST READ!
Frameworks for Organisational Capability Analysis (Monday, July 14, 2008) The good professor hits upon this key topic with an assortment of tools/frameworks - SWOT, Balanced Scorecard, 7S Framework etc. - and case studies. Excellent Read!
A Framework for Strategic IT Alignment (Monday, September 15, 2008) Is IT Alignment a strategic weapon to gain competitive advantage? Duh! But do you know to what extent information intensity affects competitive advantage? Hmm...
DAM/VAM: A Structured Methodology for Developing and IT Strategy (Monday, November 17, 2008) Demand and value assessment methodology is a structured approach to quantifying the demand for and the value from IT investments. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to implementing DAM/VAM. Excellent Read!
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