Book Description
You have more information at hand about your business environment than ever before. But are you using it to “out-think” your rivals? If not, you may be missing out on a potent competitive tool.
In Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning , Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris argue that the frontier for using data to make decisions has shifted dramatically. Certain high-performing enterprises are now building their competitive strategies around data-driven insights that in turn generate impressive business results. Their secret weapon? Analytics: sophisticated quantitative and statistical analysis and predictive modeling.
Exemplars of analytics are using new tools to identify their most profitable customers and offer them the right price, to accelerate product innovation, to optimize supply chains, and to identify the true drivers of financial performance. A wealth of examples—from organizations as diverse as Amazon, Barclay’s, Capital One, Harrah’s, Procter & Gamble, Wachovia, and the Boston Red Sox—illuminate how to leverage the power of analytics.
Customer Reviews:
Good primer and sales piece.......2007-10-12
This book is a good introduction to the applications and benefits of business analytics. It focuses on benefits and has minimal coverage of analysis methods.
I am somewhat put off by the subtitle "The New Science of Winning" which probably helps sell the book, and which reflects the extreme culture of winners and losers that dominates business culture these days. History shows that any culture without a better balance of competition with cooperation and ethics will be eclipsed.
Covers the basics of both the what-is and the how-to of fact-based decision making.......2007-10-04
Mark Twain once said something to the effect that it isn't what you don't know that gets you into trouble, it's what you know for certain that isn't so that will get you. Too many businesses are run on assumptions, guesses, and inertia. What we are doing now worked in the past so lets keep doing it. Shareholders lose a lot of money when their businesses are run with that kind of thinking.
This book is about fact-based decision making. It is really more of an introduction to the subject than a detailed text, but it is still quite useful for those wanting to learn the basics of the subject. The first five chapters discuss what analytics are, how you compete using them, and the growth path from wondering what an analytic competitor is through the fives steps to becoming one. They also discuss what it means when using internal data that you completely control, and what it means when you do it using data you control and supplier or customer data that you do not control.
The last four chapters take on the practical side of implementing a road map to becoming an analytic competitor. I particularly enjoyed the chapter emphasizing that all your plans will fail if you don't have the right people. Systems alone won't do it. The next chapter discusses the kinds of systems you need. The last chapter discusses the future of analytics.
For the right audience, this is a fascinating book. The stories about businesses succeeding by using analytics or getting themselves into serious trouble by ignoring them are all good and entertaining. Be careful, though. Some of the stories talk about instances (such as the Red Sox losing the World Series by letting the pitcher go beyond his statistical maximum pitching range) rather than trends and large numbers of events. Statistics don't work on instances. That is, at any given moment a coin might come up heads or tails. Just because there have been ten heads flips in a row does not mean you should take less than 50-50 odds on the next flip. It is still 50-50. That pitcher might have won, might have lost that game and it would have become part of the statistical information. However, for the stats to become powerful, you would have to be able to make a strong prediction over a series of games that he pitched. That is, if he goes beyond X pitches in 10 games he will lose about 8 of them. That means he still wins two (or one or three) and you don't know when in the series the wins will come.
The idea that very small observations can be exploited for big advantage is very important in today's ever more competitive business climate. For example Harrah's learned that moving the odds on slot machines one-tenth of one percent in their favor did not affect customer play at all, but netted them at extra $80 million (company wide). Marriott's hotel management system improves hotel performance by a couple percent. Remember that these improvements incur little cost, so most of the improvement flows quickly to the bottom line.
I thought that might get your attention. Read it so you can learn and profit from it.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
A limited introduction to business analytics.......2007-09-21
MY RATING SYSTEM:
* - if you have to chose between torture and reading this book, then you might want to consider reading the book - although it depends on just how severe the torture would be.
** - if you've lost your job and have quite a bit of free time on your hands, and don't have anything else better to do, then you might want to consider reading this book; don't expect to learn much or really be entertained. It will however, help you pass the time until your death.
*** - meh...I'm indifferent. Reading this book will not alter your life in any significant way, yet it is not so horrendously dreadful that your taking the time to read it will be a complete waste of time.
**** - Good book to great book zone here. You should probably read this book if you have some spare time. This book could be interesting, entertaining, or informative.
***** - Outstanding book! Make time to read this book - you'll learn or be entertained or intrigued. The book might even be good enough to provide original or helpful insights into the world that we live in.
REVIEW:
Competing on Analytics serves as an interesting, albeit limited, introduction to the concept of using complex data collection, management, and analysis techniques to gain a competitive edge in business.
For me, the book served as a useful introduction, but fell far short of satisfying the objectives I had in mind when I first came across it. What I was expecting was a book that provide a detailed guide to developing and implementing an analytical approach to business decision making. While early on the authors acknowledge the limitations of the book, I found what followed to be less than satisfying.
The book contained a variety of examples of companies that were using analytical techniques to improve the quality of business decision making, and discussed a variety of business areas in which companies might want to adopt such analytical techniques but failed to present comprehensive case studies that would provide real guidance to readers. I would have liked to have been led through a few cases, from a diverse set of industries, where the authors describe what information was collected and why, how the information was manipulated, analyzed and presented, and how the entire analytics process was influenced by and/or influenced the company's strategy and performance. Instead, the book left me with the impression that I need to go out an hire a consulting firm to lead me through the development of an analytics program.
One of the most ironic components of the book was that while it touted the use of analytical techniques and objective analysis to motivate business decision making, it's argument was largely based on anecdotal evidence of a handful of companies that have adopted analytical approaches.
Good Overview of Business Analytics.......2007-09-20
Technology & the easy with which information spreads has rendered many products and services easily replicable. Companies need to compete on the basis of something their competitors can't recreate. What companies don't have ready access to is each other's data, i.e., on customers, suppliers, & processes. What companies do with this data is what can set them apart from competitors.
Davenport & Harris describe how data is transformed into competitive advantage by discussing the types of information used in analytics, the stages of becoming a more analytic corporation, and many examples of companies who have applied analytics to successful operations. Problems encountered down the road to becoming more analytical were similar to those described in another recent book on the criticality of enterprise data, Information Revolution by Davis, Miller, & Russell.
This book contains no numeric formulas or specific procedures for using analytics, but it is an excellent as an overall survey of business analytics as used today.
Who Is The Audience.......2007-08-30
This book is meant for those who make things happen and need to gain a fresh perspective. It is not meant for those who know a lot but can't make things happen yet keep looking for more information, while criticizing a good effort, which without doubt could have been better.
Book Description
With Managing IT as a Business you'll get practical advice on how to unleash the full potential of this critical function so that companies can derive maximum benefit. It offers a proven plan for bridging the gap between CEOs and CIOs that has, until now, impeded their ability to work together in order to craft objectives, establish budget guidelines, and develop metrics for measuring IT value and success. In short, with this book as a guide, business leaders will learn how to manage IT as they would any other functional business unit.
Download Description
Typically, information technology ranks highly among most companies' top five expenditures. Yet IT continues to be one of the least understood and most poorly managed areas in business. While all executives recognize the importance of technology as a means of improving customer service and of making work more efficient, few understand how to leverage IT strategically and how to use it as a driver of business success. Managing IT as a Business provides executives with practical advice on how to unleash the full potential of this critical function so that companies can derive maximum benefit. It offers a proven plan for bridging the gap between CEOs and CIOs that has, until now, impeded their ability to work together in order to craft objectives, establish budget guidelines, and develop metrics for measuring IT value and success. In short, with this book as a guide, business leaders will learn how to manage IT as they would any other functional business unit. Through numerous case studies that outline the lessons other senior executives have learned while maximizing their IT investment.
Customer Reviews:
Must Buy if Upgrading from IT Management to CIO.......2007-08-07
Great help for someone that has just upgraded
from IT Management to a CIO role and needed to
upgrade as well his agenda. Excellent source of inspiration
and perfect guide for a profession that is still
under transformation. Definitely a must have.
The book is focused (and written by) on world class CIO positions,
but I found it equally useful for smaller scale CIOs.
It's exactly there that it lacks some information
on the organization of smaller IT groups (
<20 persons).
If you are a CIO then buy it. If you are an IT manager
you need something else.
A Must-Read for Every CIO.......2006-04-01
Excerpt from review on bsmDigest.com:
"Mark Lutchen's groundbreaking book continues to influence technology leaders with its vision for building mature IT organizations. As more CIOs and CEOs grapple with the challenge of applying effective management processes to their increasingly critical technology organizations, this engaging book offers very practical advice for doing it successfully. Drawing on his experience both as an actual CIO managing a large, global IT organizations and as a management consultant working with many large organizations, Lutchen delivers a clear, integrated vision for enlightened IT management."
Pragmatic and clear........2005-06-24
I have only one simple statement - where were you Mark when I started my IT career 17 years ago? Today I would have been a CIO! I highly recommend this book for those starting out their careers in IT as it gives a big picture look to the field. Own it and refer to the clear and relevant graphics in the book.
Insightful!.......2004-06-03
In the fall of 2003, the Harvard Business Review published an article advancing the proposition that "IT doesn't matter." The article's author suggested that because IT was now a commodity, and everyone had it, it no longer conveyed any distinctive competitive advantage and therefore, strategically, did not matter. In fact, at many companies, IT doesn't matter as much as it should - not because it is a commodity that other companies also use, but because most companies don't get every potential benefit from their IT. To advance your business agenda effectively, make IT a real part of the business. Author Mark D. Lutchen shows managers, particularly CEOs and CIOs, why IT is not fully a part of business at the moment, and what it will take to turn IT into a competitive, strategic asset. We recommend this useful, well-written, clearly organized book to anyone whose job involves decisions on IT budgets, organization, investments or strategy.
A must read for IT professionals developing a career roadmap.......2004-03-27
This is a fabulous book for experienced or aspiring IT managers whose goal is to prepare for ascension through the ranks, especially to the CIO level. In simple yet rich language, Mark presents a clear picture of the future of the IT organization and the competencies needed in the CIO and senior team heading up this professional services operation. The examples and case studies are rich with insights. In short, this book is pragmatic and weighty, yet also highly readable and I dare say outright enjoyable. I highly recommend it as a must read for anyone who wants to develop an effective IT career roadmap. Thank you Mark Lutchen.
Joe Santana,
Co-author Manage IT
Book Description
The leading authority on system dynamics explains this approach to organizational problem solving, emphasizing simulation models to understand issues such as fluctuating sales, market growth and stagnation, the reliability of forecasts and the rationality of business decision-making. The CD includes modeling software from Vensim, ithink, and PowerSim.
Customer Reviews:
Excelent book.......2007-10-17
This book is really impressive. Is an eye opener. Must read for Industrial Engineering Students, must have for professors and great addition for a professional looking for new ideas.
One of the best SD books with connection to practical work.......2007-10-06
"Business Dynamics" is a great book leading the newcomer -as myself- into the field of SD and the experienced system dynamicist can use it as a knowledge pool.
Even though the book is rather expensinve -and heavy alike- it covers great wisdom of John Sterman (he is by the way a scholar of the founder of the field, Jay W. Forrester) and is more than worthwhile buying if you are strongly interested in the field.
I was lucky to meet John and Jay this summer during a specific SD workshop at MIT and the yearly System Dynamics Society Conference and could chat with both of them (they are both very practicably using SD with a strong academic background). Learning and getting more experienced in System Dynamics and the use for daily problem solving is a dynamic and evolving process of wisdom with lots of feedback ("Business Dynamics" can help a lot in getting deeper insights.
Best regards
Ralf
Excellent.......2007-08-29
Excellent guide to systems thinking, clear examples, clear thinking and very interesting conclusions reached. highly recommended
buen libro.......2007-02-22
como parte de la materia lo llevo, me salio mas barato que en mexico y me es util para mi carrera
Amazing.......2007-01-12
The definitive book on Business dynamics !
It may look dificult to follow, but it isn`t really easy to read and follow !
The cd brings good examples.
Book Description
"Accessibility and clarity of purpose maintained throughout."
Journal of Information Technology
"Clear, practical, comprehensive."
Output
"A clear exposition of the impact that IS has had on business performance."
Long Range Planning
"Lucid analysis."
Computer Weekly
Strategic Planning for Information Systems (3rd Edition) explores the impact that Information Systems (IS) have on business performance and the contribution IS makes to the strategic development of organizations. It describes IS tools, techniques and management frameworks - all of which identify opportunities for strategic thinking, and shows how IS is an indispensable component in the implementation of a strategic plan.
Since the earlier edition of Strategic Planning for Information Systems, much has changed in the way business is organized. However, the essence of the book remains the same - it is a practical and comprehensive book written in a clear and straightforward way. This new edition focuses more on strategic management of IS than on the progress made in recent years in either technology or business processes. This 3rd edition is substantially updated and illustrated with new cases material and examples. Additional material will cover the role of ecommerce, knowledge management and benefits management systems. This book will also show why Information Systems and Information Technology investment works for some organizations and not for others.
Download Description
Strategic Planning for Information Systems explores the impact that information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) have on business performance and the contribution that they make to the strategic options of organisations. It describes tools, techniques and management frameworks to both align strategies for IS and IT with business strategy, as well as seek out new opportunities through innovative deployment of technology. This book demonstrates why strategic planning for information systems is essential to organisational success, especially in times of increasingly rapid change. Over the long term any organisation will get the information systems it deserves, according to the approach adopted to the use and management of IS/IT. To obtain the whole range of benefits available from IS/IT and avoid the potential pitfalls, every organisation must establish the means to manage IS/IT as an integral part of its approach to strategic management. In the six years since the second edition of Strategic Planning for Information Systems, much has changed in the way business is organised and in the importance of IS for competitive strategies. However, the essence of the book remains the same - it is a practical and comprehensive book written in a clear and straightforward way. The new edition introduces more approaches and techniques to aid in developing and implementing strategies - to enable management and IS/IT professionals to identify what needs to be done and how best to do it.
Customer Reviews:
A business led approach to Information Systems Planning.......2004-06-24
The latest edition of Strategic Planning for Information Systems provides vital guidance for anyone working in this area - in business or in academia. There are no easy answers and the authors provide readers with the concepts and tools they need to tackle the key challenges and develop an IS Strategy for their organisation.
The introduction of a section on Benefits Managment is particularly useful.
Poorly written........2003-11-21
The text is poorly written and rife with grammatical errors. It reads like the author(s) were producing a thesis and were being graded on word-count. They refer to their own research to justify their position. Other statements have no citations to refer to. I doubt if many organizations utilize even a forth of the practices the text suggest. What organization has the time and/or resources to expend on these ideas? I would rather read CIO magazine as it reads better and gets to the point.
If I could, I would get my money back because it is definitely not worth $100+. At best, $20.
Apply business consulting technique to IS/IT.......2002-03-21
Run IS/IT as a service business? Then you need this book which apply popular business consulting world technique to IS/IT. Value chain by M. Porter and 2x2 portfolio adapted from BCG are the two most important techniques to explore.
And you need to know where you are now and where you are going to in order to obtain a really useful strategy. The 3-era-5-stage reference model introduced here is a very powerful tool to position yourself right.
The authors also explored 4 important strategy subject areas for IS/IT: information, application, technology and resource. Which provide useful insight for us.
Rich resource for experienced strategic planners.......2001-09-13
In one respect this book is a classic because it is frequently referenced in the body of literature on IS/IT management and IS/IT strategic planning. Out of the past 50 or so articles on the topic (including corporate and city/state/Federal government strategic plans, PHd dissertations and white papers) over 75% have cited this book.
This is not, however, a "how-to" book that describes a coherent strategic planning process. It's a collection of standalone chapters on each key element of strategic planning. The material is presented in sequential order, but no single chapter depends on another. Moreover, there is no smooth continuity between the chapters or a master chapter that ties it all together. That said, this book is valuable from two perspectives:
(1) Each chapter is highly focused and contains a wealth of information on its topic.
(2) Used as a collection of mature techniques this book could be used to support an effective strategic planning process.
The main value is the fact that each element of strategic planning is thoroughly covered. I frequently use this book as a catalog of procedures and techniques for numerous projects, including strategic planning, assessment, process improvement and IS/IT organizational improvement.
If you are seeking a book that shows step-by-step how to perform IS/IT strategic planning you may not like this book. However, if you are an experienced practitioner this book is a wonderful resource to which you'll find yourself frequently referring.
Excellent Reference.......2001-05-08
I've just finished using this as a text book in my Bsc final year. It is somewhat difficult to read as the writing is not in a flowing manner but it is an axcellent reference with a multitude of tables, charts, lists and diagrams which describe the essentials of strategic IS/IT planning.
Each chapter brings a succinct set of guidelines for the strategic planning novice. A lot of work has gone into compiling this book, it is a work which I will reference again and again.
Buy it if you're into this stuff at all, you won't regret it.
Book Description
Praise for IT Portfolio Management Step-by-Step
"Bryan Maizlish and Robert Handler bring their deep experience in IT 'value realization' to one of the most absent of all IT management practices—portfolio management. They capture the essence of universally proven investment practices and apply them to the most difficult of challenges—returning high strategic and dollar payoffs from an enterprise's IT department. The reader will find many new and rewarding insights to making their IT investments finally return market leading results."
—John C. Reece, Chairman and CEO, John C. Reece & Associates, LLC Former deputy commissioner for modernization and CIO of the IRS
"IT Portfolio Management describes in great detail the critical aspects, know-how, practical examples, key insights, and best practices to improve operational efficiency, corporate agility, and business competitiveness. It eloquently illustrates the methods of building and integrating a portfolio of IT investments to ensure the realization of maximum value and benefit, and to fully leverage the value of all IT assets. Whether you are getting started or building on your initial success in IT portfolio management, this book will provide you information on how to build and implement an effective IT portfolio management strategy."
—David Mitchell, President and CEO, webMethods, Inc.
"I found IT Portfolio Management very easy to read, and it highlights many of the seminal aspects and best practices from financial portfolio management. It is an important book for executive, business, and IT managers."
—Michael J. Montgomery, President, Montgomery & Co.
"IT Portfolio Management details a comprehensive framework and process showing how to align business and IT for superior value. Maizlish and Handler have the depth of experience, knowledge, and insight needed to tackle the challenges and opportunities companies face in optimizing their IT investment portfolios. This is an exceptionally important book for executive leadership and IT business managers, especially those wanting to build a process-managed enterprise."
—Peter Fingar, Executive Partner Greystone Group, coauthor of The Real-Time Enterprise and Business Process Management (BPM): The Third Wave
"A must-read for the non-IT manager who needs to understand the complexity and challenges of managing an IT portfolio. The portfolio management techniques, analysis tools, and planning can be applied to any project or function."
—Richard "Max" Maksimoski, Senior Director R&D, The Scotts Company
"This book provides an excellent framework and real-world based approach for implementing IT portfolio management. It is a must-read for every CIO staff considering how to strategically and operationally impact their company's bottom line."
—Donavan R. Hardenbrook, New Product Development Professional, Intel Corporation
Customer Reviews:
Essential for all managers.......2006-02-02
There is absolutely no doubt that all enterprises, small or large, are completely reliant technology to operate. Companies have aggressively built and deployed IT solutions. My experience has been that most executives kind of treat this as a black box. They understand that there are major benefits to deploying various IT solutions (and they are right), but they don't really understand the how and the why. This is where this book comes in. I think that it is essential reading for executives, particularly those who are not strong in IT. Executives need to really understand the hard issues related to managing their IT portfolio -- how should they manage their IT portfolios. This book provides an excellent road map. It will show you how to evaluate your IT portfolio in a concise and easy-to-read manner. I'm big into charts and checklists and this book provides them. With a bewildering array of IT options and the difficult task of sorting and prioritizing, this book will serve as an essential guide.
Required reading for IT management.......2005-09-23
Paradigm shift is an overused term, but if there is a field in need of one, it is enterprise IT management. IT Portfolio Management presents the first detailed overview of an emerging, business-focused approach for managing all things IT.
If you only buy and read one book on IT management this year, it should be this one. The introductory summation of just how bad things generally are in enterprise IT is worth the price alone.
IT portfolio management ultimately presents the challenging idea of an overall, end to end value chain of IT investments, from initial idea inception through prioritization, delivery, management, optimization, and retirement. Handler and Maizlish propose the formal management of Discovery, Project, and Asset portfolios; their discussion of the Asset portfolio is a groundbreaking examination of issues that too many IT organizations are just beginning to face up to.
This well written book has detailed case studies from Cisco, In-Q-Tel, and Excel Energy, and much specific guidance in the form of checklists, charts, tables, and more.
I recently saw a figure of $800 billion per year for the combined expenditure on IT by US corporations. Given the massive size of this capital investment, it is very surprising how few substantive books there are written on its general issues. Technical publishing usually produces detailed reference guides that are soon obsolete; this book (like the recent _IT Governance_ by Weill and Ross) is in the smaller category of works that discuss more general issues of large scale IT management, and should have staying power far beyond the latest .Net tome.
If you are in IT management or concerned with the architecture of IT enablement systems - buy it. Now!
Book Description
-
âThis book clearly shows how today’s industry pressures and business challenges mandate renewal of the contract between organizations and their IT assets and people–and it illustrates how a service-oriented approach to IT can help organizations go through the necessary transformation. The role of governance in bringing IT and business closer together is particularly well explained, and the book is worth reading for that alone.â
–Neil Ward-Dutton, Research Director, Macehiter Ward-Dutton
âIt’s easy to pay lip service to the concept of business/IT alignment, but in The New Language of Business, Sandy Carter walks the walk. Few treatments of SOA ground this admittedly difficult topic in the world of business as thoroughly as Sandy has here. I’d recommend this book to any business reader who wants to leverage IT to make their business more agile and innovative, and to any technical reader who wishes to understand how to place SOA in the business context where it belongs.â
–Jason Bloomberg, Senior Analyst and Principal, ZapThink LLC
âA very valuable read. In today’s globally connected marketplace profitable growth requires business flexibility and continuous innovation, both of which are increasingly proving to be impossible without business modularity and the new table-stakes technology SOA.â
–Ron Williams, Professor, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
âSandy has provided a pragmatic and holistic perspective on Service Oriented Architectures. She adds credibility by sharing IBM’s in-depth customer research as well as case studies to support the findings. The book is a strong source book for those wanting to get started with SOA.â
–Judith Hurwitz, President & CEO, Hurwitz & Associates, coauthor,
Service Oriented Architectures for Dummies
âFew people have thought as long or as hard about SOA as Sandy Carter. This book embodies her invaluable work and the work of many at IBM to research, define, deploy and make SOA happen. Useful not just from a SOA perspective, but also as a concise articulation of the contemporary concepts fundamental to understanding where business and IT are heading.â
–Carol Baroudi, coauthor Service Oriented Architecture For Dummies, Senior Analyst, Aberdeen Group
âThe New Language of Business: SOA & Web 2.0 is based on the collective feedback from industry leaders at organizations of all sizes, in more than 50 countries, who shared their views, experiences, and challenges of aligning technology with business goals.â
–From the foreword by Steve Mills, Senior Vice President and Group Executive, IBM Software Group
There is now a direct, provable link between an organization’s flexibility and business performance. To optimize flexibility, companies must achieve unprecedented levels of integration and automation of key processes and infrastructure, both internally and externally. At the same time, they must learn to manage their processes far more dynamically and responsively.
They must become flex-pon-sive*.
Until recently, technology stood in the way of achieving these goals. Thanks to the emergence of service oriented architecture (SOA), Web 2.0, and open standards, technology now enables companies to achieve those goals. In The New Language of Business, one of IBM’s top SOA strategist demonstrates how business leaders can use innovations in technology to drive dramatic process improvements and support accelerating change.
Sandy Carter shows how to deconstruct your business into a âcomponentizedâ business model, then support that model with linked, repeatable IT services that can adapt quickly, easily, and economically. These techniques will help both IT professionals and business leaders reach new levels of operational excellence to deliver the market-focused innovations that matter most.
Drive competitive advantage through Service Oriented Architecture
Leverage the value of business process components and IT services
Achieve one version of the truth–finally!
Use information as a service to improve business insight and reduce risk
Master SOA governance and the service lifecycle
Manage IT infrastructure for business results, both short-term and long-term
Start fast: choose from three winning approaches
Get quick wins with business process management, collaboration or information
Implement on demand: what works–and what doesn’t
Discover key success factors–and ten critical mistakes to avoid
Create the flex-pon-sive* business!
•Learn the secrets of success from industry leaders at organizations of all sizes, from over 50 countries–and why SOA was unanimously chosen as the best way to address their challenges
•Leverage the IBM roadmap for SOA and Web 2.0 deployment, plus proven best practices learned in the field
•Understand what it means to be flex-pon-sive*–and how your organization can get there
In The New Language of Business, senior IBM executive Sandy Carter demonstrates how to leverage SOA, Web 2.0, and related technologies to drive new levels of operational excellence and business innovation.
Writing for executives and business leaders inside and outside IT, Carter explains why flexibility and responsiveness are now even more crucial to success–and why services-based strategies offer the greatest promise for achieving them.
You’ll learn how to organize your business into reusable process components–and support them with cost-effective IT services that adapt quickly and easily to change. Then, using extensive examples–including a detailed case study describing IBM’s own experience–Carter identifies best practices, pitfalls, and practical starting points for success.
Build the flex-pon-sive* business
* Flex-pon-sive* companies respond with lightning speed and agility to rapidly changing business needs. Flex-pon-sive* companies are focused on processes that are enabled for change through IT.
Foreword
Part I: Start at the Beginning–The Business
Chapter 1: The Innovation Imperative
Chapter 2: What Is Flex-pon-sive*?
Chapter 3: Deconstructing Your Business: Component Business Model
Part II: A Flexible Business Requires Flexible IT
Chapter 4: SOA as the DNA of a Flex-pon-sive* and Innovative Company
Chapter 5: SOA Key Concepts
Chapter 6: SOA Governance and Service Lifecycle
Chapter 7: Three Business-Centric SOA Entry Points
Chapter 8: What about Web 2.0 and SOA? Are They Related?
Part III: How to Implement Flex-pon-sive* in Your Business
Chapter 9: The Top 10 Don’ts!
Chapter 10: Case Study: IBM
Chapter 11: Putting It All Together
Glossary
Index
Customer Reviews:
SOA is just about business - THANKS Sandy! .......2007-07-18
It has been hard for me to understand the value of SOA from a business perspective - Your book realy helped me to understand the linkage between IT and business and the value of SOA for my company.
I do recommend reading your book !!!!
You can't change everything to SOA, but SOA changes everything.......2007-07-17
After reading and recommending Sandy's book to my customers, I realized that it has always been about the business, so Sandy has it right.
Technology has always been important but instead of buying technologies that assumes will somehow improve the business; we should examine aspects of the business that most require improvement. Sandy's book does a great job in reminding us that as we look into the future flexibility through SOA and Web 2.0 can give us what we are all looking for - shorter cycles of innovation. I congratulate Sandy for a well written book, simple to understand and most important the insight she brings from her experiences, customer engagements and thought leadership. I recommend this book to c-level execs, project managers, line-of-business leaders and new hires.
Comprehensive overview moves beyond bits and bytes.......2007-07-16
If you're looking for code samples, topologies, software products, speeds, and feeds, this book is not for you. But if you're after real-world insights into how companies solve real problems, it should be right up your alley. For those looking for pure IT, the good news is, there are many other volumes of technology-focused guides and books about SOA and Web 2.0 available. Conversely, books about using SOA and Web 2.0 as a means of attaining real business benefits are in painfully short supply. While other writings may claim to fill this void, Sandy Carter's book actually fulfills this objective.
While this book is not for the person who is looking for a first introduction to SOA, it does a very nice job at describing how to put the concepts of SOA into practice for business benefit. In other words, the book is less about what SOA IS than it is about when and how SOA can be used and what results can be expected. There are illustrative examples drawn from IBM implementations sprinkled throughout the book that bring the concepts that the author introduces to life. I would say that the ideal audience for this book is the business-minded IT manager/executive or the line of business executive who recognizes that IT is best approached as a means of strategic advantage rather than mere overhead cost.
I'd recommend this book for personal and professional enrichment. I can imagine this book as being used as a business technology textbook although it lacks the dry academic tone of many other textbooks I've read. It is a lively read so perhaps "guidebook" would be a more appropriate term than `textbook'.
Less than expection on the usefulness of book.......2007-05-28
This is much less than my expection. It describes too much marketing information and so far away from SOA technical stand point.
It provides many non-useful for SOA technical reader, can't give practical solution and how it is possible in the real world.
SOA the next big thing? Not so Fast my Friend.......2007-05-04
The complexity of the content in this book came at no surprise due to my limited background knowledge of information technology. If you are planning to read this book in hopes of gaining a broad understanding, forget it. Even the author specifically states in her forward section that a general sense of understanding is a prerequisite. However, there are numerous blogs and articles outlining this controversy that are readily available, which will help supplement the content in this book.
Being the novice that I am, I needed to find a perspective that challenged Sandy Carter's secrets for success. Conceptually, the idea of being "flex-pon-sive" appears to be more common-sense than ground-breaking. I mean if SOA and Web 2.0 can create as much value as Sandy Carter claims, why the entire business community isn't rushing to implement these technologies into its IT systems. Therefore, I decided to go to the one source that I could count on to provide an "alternate perspective." Public Enemy #1: Nicholas Carr.
As I predicted, Nicholas Carr has indeed inserted himself into the conversation, simplifying these technologies into a group he calls, "knowledge management systems."3 I could not find anything in his blog that specifically attacks SOA, but Web 2.0 was a common theme. Carr noted that implementing Web 2.0 into enterprise-wide IT systems will fail due to the lack of governance. 3 His point did not provide any shocking revelations since even Sandy Carter herself noted that the failure of effective governance would ultimately cause this concept to fail. However, Carr did manage to insert the discussion of cost effectiveness and sustained benefit, two of his most core arguments dating back to his controversial article, "Does IT Matter?" 4 He believes that once the hype generated by the "enthusiastic earlier adopters" dies down, those who lack the essential knowledge will become indifferent, leaving only those select few who actually possess the essential knowledge to optimize these technologies, but have no time to do so. 3 In the end, the system will ultimately fall into disuse and crumble under its own complexity.
As cynical as this may appear, his outlook for Web 2.0 proved to be fairly accurate in a McKinsey study that was conducted in January 2007. McKinsey & Company, a prominent consulting firm, surveyed close to 2,800 executives from around the world to determine the level of interest in companies adopting Web 2.0 technologies. The study to proved Sandy Carter's assertion to be partially correct; many executives have a strong interest in these technologies. 5 However, the study also noted that there was a disparity between the number of executives who were interested in investing in Web 2.0 technologies and those who actually invested or were planning to invest in these technologies in the near future. 5 Social networking at 37% was found to be the most popular Web 2.0 tool that executives were willing to or have already invested in. 5 This percentage certainly does not depict an enthusiastic revolution brewing in the IT world. With that being said however, it does appear that the general consensus is to employ a wait-and-see approach. Executives are indeed interested in improving the flexibility of their business models, but don't feel comfortable enough to act based on the current tools available. Therefore, unfortunately for proponents of SOA such as Sandy Carter, the next phenomenon wave has not arrived yet. But it's on the horizon and with the improvements being made each and everyday, this concept will become a reality much sooner rather than later.
Nevertheless, despite the hesitation to implement these tools into the business world, one idea was made quite clear in this book; IT still matters. With this new push towards becoming increasingly flexible and responsive, the value of IT has been rejuvenated. Although Carr believes that a botched implementation of these emerging technologies will result in significant detriment to any company, the benefits of a successful implementation is endless. 5 The sustainable competitive advantage though does not come from the technology itself, but rather will come from the flexibility that these technologies will provide. Although Carr is correct in a sense that the window of competitive advantage for any technological advancement is miniscule, the ability to maintain this competitive advantage can potentially be endless with these new technologies. 4 The additional flexibility that these technologies provide will generate unprecedented amounts of innovation as there will be seemingly no boundaries that will hinder the advancement of a company from growing to insurmountable heights. Just imagine if every company can adjust its business model on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis. The concept of sustaining a competitive advantage will not rely on the length of time, but rather the frequency in which you can change to sustain this advantage. As a result, it would appear that the best defense for companies will be a great offense. In other words, if a flexible company can continue to push the envelope and adjust its business model more frequently that the rest of its competition, it may be able to distance itself far beyond the rest of the pack and can then focus on other improvement areas while waiting for its competitors to catch up. The new, flexible business environment could potentially turn from a marathon into an all-out sprint!
Average customer rating:
- Don't be afraid,
- Managing Chaos and Complexity: A Platform for Designing Business Architecture
- Multi-point reference, strong in all areas but very broad
- Successful Integration of Systems Thinking "Camps"
- Go west young man go west!
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Systems Thinking, Second Edition: Managing Chaos and Complexity: A Platform for Designing Business Architecture
Jamshid Gharajedaghi
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ASIN: 0750679735 |
Book Description
The first edition of Systems Thinking was the first book to develop a working concept of systems theory and to deal operationally with systems methodology. The author has been working for the last 5 years to incorporate parallel development in quantum theory, self-organizing systems and complexity theory, the sum of which is included in this new 2nd edition. He has tested these concepts with 200 executive MBA students, and also with Russell Ackoff, one of the founding fathers of systems thinking. Ackoff reported that it was the most comprehensive systems methodology he has seen.
The 2nd edition features the synthesis of holistic thinking (iteration of structure, function and process), operational thinking (understanding chaos and complexity), sociocultural systems (movement toward a predefined order), and interactive design (redesigning the future and inventing ways to bring it about).
Also added are the operational thinking and self-organizing aspect of sociocultural systems, with updates made to the holistic thinking and interactive design parts to incorporate recent new developments.
* Cutting edge thinking incorporates the interaction of holistic thinking, operational thinking, sociocultural systems, and interactive design to develop an all inclusive systems methodology
* Companion website built solely to accompany and compliment the new edition available at www.interactdesign.com
* Operational thinking and self organizing aspects of sociocultural systems added anew, with the holistic thinking and interactive design parts updated to incorporate new developments
Customer Reviews:
Don't be afraid,.......2007-08-27
This is really aimed at the reader who wishes to work on the transformation of whole organisations. Demonstrating the multi-dimensional relationships between organisational design, performance and behaviour.
This work has had a profound effect on my thinking and development of management ideas. It integrates many concepts into a systemic whole. I have used this book with many management teams in recent years.
If you are venturing into the world of systems thinking then this is probably the most accessible in terms of simplicity and breakthrough applications.
Putting these ideas into practice with your colleagues or management teams might seem a little daunting but it's the only way to learn and master the concepts which will bring deeper insight into organisational change and provide you with better solutions to some of your more persistent management issues. Don't be afraid.
Managing Chaos and Complexity: A Platform for Designing Business Architecture.......2007-02-18
My company recommended that I read this book in advance of training session with the author. I scanned the entire book today. Some useful info.
Multi-point reference, strong in all areas but very broad.......2006-04-14
The concepts of system thinking, enterprise architecture, business architecture are big enough by themselves to be covered in a book. Doing it all within the context of a single book is daunting and a topic that Gharajedaghi partially accomplishes.
I read this book as part of the research I did for my doctoral dissertation, so this review will have a bit of an academic bent.
Gharajedaghi is a strong believer in the Enterprise Architecture models of Zachman and that influence shows in his work. The book has a strong academic flavor in its use of terminology and how it describes systems thinking. Executives and consultants looking to understand these concepts will have to work at it a bit, but the work is worth it.
A strength of this work is the fact that includes actual case studies -- something that few people take the time to do. The five cases cover a variety of industries and situations that make the principles that Gharajedaghi discusses.
Overall, if you are a serious student of systems thinking this book is a good second level reference. Peter Senge's the 5th Discipline is the 'pop' version of systems thinking and Peter Checklund is the intermediate level and somewhat similar to this work.
Successful Integration of Systems Thinking "Camps".......2006-02-12
Gharajedaghi's 2nd edition has accomplished an incredible feat - he has successfully integrated and synthesized the systems dynamics of Forrester with the systems thinking and interactive design of Ackoff. Jamshid connects Holistic thinking, operational thinking, socio-cultural models/conceptions, and interactive design into a complementary whole. Our organization has learned and is using Jamshid's methodology and it is fundamentally changing the way in which we see the world and the organizations that will be able to compete in this new "flat" world.
If you're ready to escape the confines of linear thinking and classical science and management approaches to organizational problems, then this is your book. This book is written conceptually, not linearly, and challenges any reader who is used to over-simplified, mainstream books yet it is not an overly technical read that would be approachable only to high-level engineers and systems scientists. Those not having approached systems thinking before might be better off simultaneously working through Senge's Fifth Discipline and Ackoff's Best as primers. Be prepared to read it slowly and repeatedly - the ideas are profound when considered carefully and openly and might challenge many core assumptions.
Having met Jamshid on several occasions, I have found him to be one of the brighest men to grace our world with a significant contribution to share - he very well may have the current "best" answer to organizational design for our times. To dismiss him as simply an "Ackoff disciple" or another guru trying to sell his services is shortsighted. Linear, prescriptive books become best-sellers that catapult authors into 5-digit fee days - Jamshid's 2nd edition isn't the stuff of best-sellers, but rather for "best-thinkers."
Go west young man go west!.......2005-11-17
If this book takes you back to the source material, then it will have accomplished its goal. The book itself, lacks the finesse of it's intellectual founders. But by god do we need this book in order to point us back. The last three years have been a result of reading all the source material for the book and for that Jamshid - I thank you.
The best of luck.
Book Description
Information Technology
Cutting-edge techniques for equipping your IT organization to meet the challenges of today's business world
Today's leaner, meaner, total quality business organizations look to information technology to provide them with a sustainable competitive advantage. That's why the IT managers who are in greatest demand are those who are well versed in modern strategic planning techniques and capable of developing a dynamic IT organization ever alert to their companies' current and future business needs. Written by an author at the cutting edge of today's IT business strategy revolution, this book offers you a clear, easy-to-implement action plan for reengineering your business's IT organization with an eye to building, sustaining, and expanding a competitive advantage. You will find:
- Charts and templates that an IT staff can customize and use today
- Techniques for overcoming most architecture problems, including a diagramming technique for drawing exceptionally clear blueprints
- An in-depth discussion of business IT alignment
- How to design an internal IT business economy
- Tips on how to get the biggest bang for the buck while optimizing customer service
- Proven techniques that radically improve application development through object-oriented technologies, data servers, and prototyping
Customer Reviews:
Bridging business strategy and IT planning: a clear guide.......2003-08-28
It was about the time this book was written in 1994 that I was facing a difficult time trying to articulate the relationship between business strategy and use of information technology, and the complex set of issues of alignment between the two. I was involved in the complex restructuring of a central bank in an African country and my need to explain these issues to central bankers made my job even more complex.
This book opened my eyes. Even as business thinking and technology have evolved tremendously since this book was published, I still find this text one of the clearest and most concise guides on this subject. The author's approach is highly structured and supported by excellent graphics and charts and he eschews the use of jargon in favor of more straightforwad language.
The strength of the book is its achievement of the difficult balance between business and technolgy issues. Even the concept of strategy is concisely explained with an excellent review of different "schools of strategy." The chapters on technology will definitely seem outdated to many, and the lack of discussion of the Internet and multimedia will be especially striking to a reader today. But this is less important if your interest is to see how to present the issue of alignment between business strategy and technology. The penultimate chapter on management philosophy and style quotes from Machiavelli and Sun Tzu and reminds us that all this technology is really about achieving straegic advanatge and business gain. It is too easy to miss the forest (strategic vision and goals) when the trees (technology tools) become the focus.
I have many other books on similar subjects, but find myself returning to this one whenever I seek inspiration on how to present the issue of effective alignment. It is full of practical straight talk in an area which has unfortunately fallen prey to hype and obfuscation. An illustrative quote from this book: "Clarity is hampered by colloquial definitions of the words. Therefore, we must take some time to uncover what strategic alignment between I/T and the business really means."
comprehensive ...the only missing part is ROI and IT values.......2000-05-06
This is an excellent book for IT leadership who often finds itslef on a different road and cannot justify the value of IT. Unless IT is perfectly aligned with the company strategy this value is never there. This book shows you how to do it...how to align yourself. What is missing are some lessons in showing or developing ROI in IT projects.
Book Description
There are two very contrasting approaches to reading this book and learning about organizational design. The more traditional approach is to read the book, and then use the OrgCon on cases and applications. The second approach is to begin with the OrgCon software and only examine the book as you find it helpful. Which approach is better? It is your choice, not ours. In our experience, students in organizational design prefer to start with the OrgCon and a case, rather than with the book itself. Readers who have more background in organization theory and design usually examine the book first.
There are numerous changes in the third edition. The literature review in each chapter has been updated. The information processing approach is strengthened and applied more comprehensively as the theoretical underpinnings. Throughout we have rewritten the text beyond normal editing in an attempt to make the presentation clearer and easier to read.
Book Description
This book prepares readers for the challenge of integrating the technology resource. In order to understand the industry today, one must understand the ways companies align, partner, and communicate through technology to grow their business. Managing the Information Technology Resource presents a set of powerful tools to ensure users' understanding of the strategies, tactics, and operational endeavors CIO's employ to assimilate technologies across the firm. "Examples in Action" boxes highlight real-world company examples in each chapter, lending a practical feel to the book so readers can see how this material relates to the actual workforce.
Seven sections illustrate the critical topics inherent to IT in today's firm—Alignment, Partnership, Technology, Human Resources, Governance, Communications, and Metrics. Emphasis is placed on the tactical and operational role of the CIO.
For anyone involved with IT in a company.
Customer Reviews:
Poor at best.......2005-02-09
I agree with J.Boot's review - it is obvious that another reviewer on this page is completely biased. Maybe it was their way of getting 'brownie points' for a better grade. ;)
As for the book, the explainations aren't very good, the illustrations confuse the subject, and overall it is a dry, slow read. I think the same regarding the 'Align in the Sand' book, too. The subject matter seems to jump around with little thought to flow, and the overall theme regarding IT/business alignment is a bit too utopian and unrealistic.
A Big Yawner.......2004-09-20
The other review of this book is obviously biased, since he studied under the author. This book is dry, poorly formatted, and has terrible illustrations/tables/figures.
For example, the author's discussion of Strategic Alignment Maturity starts off with a figure describing different levels of maturity (okay), followed by text that repeats what the figure shows (uh, okay), followed by MORE figures that expand on the first figure. ??? This is really poor presentation of information.
I bought it for $60 (not cover price of $130) and am disappointed. Frankly, Dilbert does a better job of explaining IT management.
A must read!!.......2004-03-01
I got a lot out of the book and found it extremly helpful in my career. So many items can be taken directly from the book and applied to your job.
I was lucky enough to study under Dr. Luftman during the fall of 2003 at Stevens Insititute of Technology in NJ. Dr. Luftman is very insightful and truly understands the needs for aligning Business and IT. Dr. Luftman engages on a regular basis all of the top CIOs in the NYC market. Besides this book, I recommend Dr. Luftmans other book "Align in the Sand". Another great work.
I guarantee after reading the book you will truly understand what it takes to make your IT group a Value Center rather than a Cost center.
Books:
- Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning
- Computational Collective Intelligence
- Computer Confluence Complete (7th Edition)
- Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning, Second Edition
- Construction Scheduling: Principles and Practices
- Country Risk Assessment: A Guide to Global Investment Strategy (The Wiley Finance Series)
- Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government--Saving Privacy in the Digital Age
- Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems (7th Edition)
- Developing Multi-Agent Systems with JADE (Wiley Series in Agent Technology)
- e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success (2nd Edition)
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