Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology

Book Description

Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture

"This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA."
—Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation

"A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future."
—Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions

"This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike."
—Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning

"Too often, SOA has been perceived as 'all about the technology'-standards, technology stacks, operational monitoring, and the like. In this book, Marks and Bell expand beyond the technology to provide a refreshing business-driven perspective to SOA, connecting the dots between business requirements, architecture, and development and operations, and overlaying these perspectives with tried-and-true governance techniques to keep SOA initiatives on track. A must-read for those leading the charge to adopt SOA within their enterprise."
—Brent Carlson, Chief Technology Officer, LogicLibrary and coauthor of San Francisco Design Patterns: Blueprints for Business Software

"Marks and Bell have captured a wealth of practical experience and lessons learned in what has become the hottest topic in software development. In this book, they explain in detail what works and what does not, from procedural issues to technical challenges. This book is an invaluable reference for organizations seeking the benefits of SOAs."
—Dr. Jeffrey S. Poulin, System Architect, Lockheed Martin and author of Measuring Software Reuse: Principles, Practices, and Economic Models

"One of the last things companies often consider when implementing a business solution such as SOA is the impact on people. Marks and Bell provide an in-depth look at 'what has to change' from a process standpoint to make any SOA implementation a success. A great read for those considering to embark on an enterprise SOA and looking for the right mix of people, process, and products."
—Alan Himler, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing, LogicLibrary

SOA is a complex topic and a complex organizational goal

Service-Oriented Architecture: A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology shows you how to plan, implement, and achieve SOA value through its prescriptive approach, joining the business and strategic perspective to the technical and architectural perspective.

Applicable to all industries, technology platforms, and operating environments, this innovative book provides you with the essential strategies to drive greater value from your SOA and realize your business goals.

Download Description

Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture ""This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA."" Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation ""A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future."" Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions ""This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike."" Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning

Customer Reviews:

AN EXCELLENT TECHNOLOGY BOOK .......2007-07-02

This book is an excellent SOA technological introduction that presents major architectural concerns that most architects, team leads, developers, and software modelers struggle with. It addresses fundamental service-oriented challenges and provides viable solutions that IT professionals can employ:
- A service lifecycle that identifies major modeling disciplines
- Introduction to service-oriented analysis, design, and realization
- Introduction to service-oriented technologies
- A service-oriented integration model that provide viable interoperable solutions
- Service reusability model that elaborates on various methods that can facilitate asset reuse in organizations

I'd recommend this book to IT personnel and SOA practitioners that would like to learn more about starting service-oriented projects and achieving effective results.

Business Focused SOA .......2007-06-26

This book is a must read for the Executive and Architect responsible for transforming their business processes and IT infrastructure from something resembling an anchor to an agile, flexible system that enables corporate progress. This book will show you a process that will help you get off step 0, define the right services, and ensure that your SOA efforts resolve your business and IT challenges. When implementing an SOA, the technology is the easy part, ensuring that services are created in a consistent manner, that they are designed with reuse in mind, that s/w creation, and hence new product development, gets less expensive and takes less time, over time, that's the hard part, that's where SOA Governance comes in, and this book will give you the SOA Governance basics you need to get your SOA transformation off to a good start. Get control of Governance and your 75% there. This book will not provide code snippets, developer advice, or describe technical specifications, if you want these things, get Thomas Url' or Greg Lomow' books. This book is about using a top-down business service analysis, bottom-up implementation considered, iterative SOA design model. Read it to develop or improve your SOA planning capabilities.

Not for a Developer.......2007-05-15

Note: My strong dislike of this book probably says more about me than the book...

As a developer I like books that bridge the technical and the business gap. I need to see, in concrete examples, how things might be implemented -- I want to see code, configuration documents, snippets of policy code etc. I also find it helpful when books build upon a sample application. I wanted to see examples of the technology that enables SOA, walk-thrus of standards such WSPL.

This book has none of that. To me it is a book of high-level lists of lists and every section I've read leaves me wondering what it said. I think they repeat themselves too much and the book seems poorly organized with material half way through a chapter which seemed to me to belong at the start. For all it being high-level, they make an assumption that the reader is familiar with a host of acronyms and/or the technology behind them.

SOA - Pragmatic Advice .......2007-03-05

Much has been written about the promise of SOA and, at the same time, the difficulty in realizing that promise to date. Most of us who work in this field know by now how to address the technical concepts, architecture and services in an SOA. Where this book stands apart from so many others is that it provides both conceptual and pragmatic advice in three critical areas which need attention for SOA to mature, to achieve business buy-in, and to attain the "SOA network effect" as the authors call it. These keys are: shifting focus to identification of candidate business services; SOA governance, organization, and behavior; and a framework for an SOA business case, ROI model and scorecard.

I enthusiastically recommend this book for the authors' lucid, insightful chapters on these three subjects alone. That they are woven nicely into a more complete system of processes and supporting structures to nurture along SOA through critical mass is an added bonus.

A Must Read !!!!.......2007-01-23

"Service Oriented Architecture is a hot topic and will be for times to come however it is often misunderstood topic in the Information Technology field today. Based on the SDN Network IT professionals see the potential of an SOA -- especially a web services-based SOA -- in dramatically speeding up the application development process They also see it as a way to build applications and systems that are more adaptable, and in doing so, they see IT becoming more agile in responding to changing business needs. Not only is SOA a hot topic, but it's clearly the wave of the future. Gartner reports that "By 2008, SOA will be a prevailing software engineering practice, ending the 40-year domination of monolithic software architecture" and that "Through 2008, SOA and web services will be implemented together in more than 75 percent of new SOA or web services projects." Bell articulately describes the concepts, specifications, technical nuisances and standards behind service orientation and Web Services. One primary objective of applying SOA in design is to provide business value to the solutions we build. Understanding the right approach to analyzing, designing, and developing service-oriented solutions is critical. This book is a must read!"

Average customer rating:

Managing and Using Information Systems
Adequate read for IT courses

Managing and Using Information Systems
Carol S. Saunders , and Keri E. Pearlson
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Human-Computer Interaction: Developing Effective Organizational Information Systems
Principles of Information Systems Security: Texts and Cases

ASIN: 0471715387

Book Description

Integrate IT with business strategy
Now updated and revised, this Third Edition of Managing and Using Information Systems by Pearlson and Saunders arms you with the insights and knowledge you need to become an active participant in information systems decisions. Taking a strategic approach to information systems, the authors show how to manage information as a resource and use information for competitive advantage.

This brief, yet complete, paperback provides a basic framework for understanding the relationships among business strategy, information systems, and organizational strategies. You'll learn how IT relates to organizational design and business strategy, how to recognize opportunities in the work environment, and how to apply current technologies in innovative ways.

New Features of the Third Edition
* New coverage of off-shoring
* New coverage of IT portfolio management
* Expanded coverage of management of security
* Expanded coverage of Supply Chain Management (SCM)
* Additional cases

Cases are available with Business Extra Select
Custom CoursePacks of cases and readings for each chapter are available via Wiley's Business Extra Select program. Go to www.wiley.com/college/bxs for more details.

Customer Reviews:

Managing and Using Information Systems.......2007-02-16

Book shipped extremely fast and was just as described. Thanks.

Adequate read for IT courses.......2007-01-20

I'm reading this in an MBA MIS course. I'm also an IT manager, so I have a little more experience and perception behind what I'm reading.

No IT book is real life. They're mostly theory. This one does a decent job of integrating theory with recent case studies. It would suffice as an adequate IT training book for anyone who may be managing IT or may encounter those working in the field.

Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right (Essential Knowledge Resource)

Average customer rating:

Great resource for Instructional designers
Very down to earth...
Everything you need to develop instructional material
Don't do it like this
Comprehensive and applicable

Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right (Essential Knowledge Resource)
George M. Piskurich
Manufacturer: Pfeiffer
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Designing Web-Based Training: How to Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime

ASIN: 0787980730

Book Description

This is the second edition of the best-selling book that shows how to get instructional design done fast and get it done right! If you need a basic understanding of what instructional design is and a hands-on, to-the-point method of ensuring that the training and performance interventions you put into place meet the needs of your staff and your organization, this book is for you. It offers a no-nonsense walk through all the steps in the instructional design process and each step is explained in language that is conversational and easy to understand. This new edition addresses such topics as learning analysis, return on investment, and designing asynchronous and synchronous e-learning, as well as a wealth of illustrative examples of storyboards and professional commentary and case studies from professionals in the field.

Customer Reviews:

Great resource for Instructional designers.......2007-08-23

An an instructional designer, I know how difficult it can be to find good written resources on the subject, and it is next to impossible to find resources that don't waste too much time on ID history and theory.

I wanted a practical resource, and that is exactly what this book is. It explains ID procedure in great detail and stays away from uneccessary theoretical mumbo jumbo. My only criticism is that it can get wordy and repetitive at times.
This is not a book for ID students, it's a book for actual instructional designers. I learned more from this book than any other book on ID.

Very down to earth..........2007-07-06

I bough this text for a graduate course that I am taking. I really like how the author is down to earth and speaks on an understandable level. He also explains items very clearly.

Everything you need to develop instructional material.......2007-03-16

This book has more than some instructors will need, but I think all of it has potential for being very useful. For example, I am using part of it to help me improve the layout of a book, another part to help me teach trainers how to write better instructional objectives, and the rest to refresh my learning in every area.

There is still the matter of teaching in an effective way, and this book was not developed for that purpose. But having a well organized block of instruction in which each part has a purpose, and having good printed material and plenty of participant interaction, will make teaching easier. This book provides all of that in abundance. I believe it should be a standard reference for committed trainers.

Don't do it like this.......2005-10-08

For an instructional designer the author spent a lot of time going over what not to do versus what to do. I found his condescending attitude put me off. The info however is helpful, but I'm sure there is another book that can more effectively convey the information.

Comprehensive and applicable.......2005-09-30

This book has been a wonderful addition to my library. I am using it to train a couple of non-instructional designers on how to design and develop quality training. It has provided an easy to read comprehensive guide. The icons throughout the book guide those that are infrequent designers in the most applicable sections of the book vs. those that a professional ID person would need to know. I highly recommend this book.

Knowledge Management (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)

Average customer rating:

Extraordinary Guidance for Practitioners
If KM seems expensive, try ignorance
Knowledge Management with practical applications
Knowledge Management, a layperson's perspective
Need to know vs, Nice to know

Knowledge Management (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)
Harvard Business Review
Manufacturer: MCGRAW-HILL/ TAB
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875848818

Book Description

Leading Minds and Landmark Ideas In An Easily Accessible Format

From the preeminent thinkers whose work has defined an entire field to the rising stars who will redefine the way we think about business, The Harvard Business Review Paperback Series delivers the fundamental information today's professionals need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world.

The eight articles in Harvard Business Review on Knowledge Management highlight the leading-edge thinking and practical applications that are defining the field of knowledge management. Includes Peter Drucker's prophetic The Coming of the New Organization and Ikujiro Nonaka's Knowledge-Creating Company. A Harvard Business Review Paperback.

Customer Reviews:

Extraordinary Guidance for Practitioners.......2005-06-04

This is another great book in the HBR paperback series. There are several very helpful article/chapters in this book; each one taken alone is worth more than the cost of the book.

The article by Argyris, "Teaching Smart People to Learn," is quite insightful. Argyris explains why smart, highly trained professionals find it difficult to learn from their mistakes and failures.

In David Garvin's article/chapter, he talks about what real people in real organizations are doing to build learning organizations.

John Seely Brown discusses the importance of new innovations found in "how work is done" in his chapter.

Add to these helpful chapters, the work of Drucker, Nonaka, and Kleiner, and this is a must-have for practitioners.

Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Learning"

If KM seems expensive, try ignorance.......2004-09-21

I read this book when it was first published in 1998 and recently re-read it, curious to see how well it has held up since then. It has done so to a remarkable extent.

Again, I am reminded of Derek Bok's observation "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

This is one in a series of several dozen volumes which comprise the "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series." Each offers direct, convenient, and inexpensive access to the best thinking on the given subject in articles originally published by the Harvard Business Review. I strongly recommend all of the volumes in the series. The individual titles are listed at this Web site: www.hbsp.harvard.edu. The authors of various articles are among the world's most highly regarded experts on the given subject. All of the volumes have been carefully edited. An Executive Summary introduces each selection. Supplementary commentaries are also provided in most of the volumes, as is an "About the Contributors" section which usually includes suggestions of other sources which some readers may wish to explore.

In this volume, we are provided with a variety of perspectives on knowledge management: Peter F. Drucker on "The Coming of the New Organization," Ikujiro Nonaka on "The Knowledge-Creating Company," David A. Garvin on "Building a Learning Organization," Chris Argyris on "Teaching Smart People How to Learn," Dorothy Leonard and Susaan Straus on "Putting Your Company's Whole Brain to work," Art Kleiner and George Roth on "How to Make Experience Your Company's Best Teacher," John Seely Brown on "Research That Reinvents the Corporation," and James Brien Quinn, Philip Anderson, and Sydney Finkelstein on "Managing Professional Intellect: Making the Most of the Best." Listing the article titles correctly indicate the nature and scope of the specific subjects offered.

Quite true, some of the material is dated and inevitably so, given the elapsed time since the articles were published in the Harvard Business Review. However, in my opinion, the principles advocated and the core strategies recommended remain relevant to the contemporary marketplace. For example, Drucker notes that "to remain competitive -- maybe even to survive -- businesses will have to convert themselves into organizations of knowledge specialists." Garvin presents an especially informative analysis of Xerox's six-step problem-solving process which addresses questions to be answered, expansion/divergence issues, contraction/convergence issues, and "next steps" after implementation. Leonard and Straus rigorously examine the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator process, including within their narrative a brilliant overview of the MBTI©. Indeed, readers are provided with rock-solid material throughout each article.

For less than the cost of breakfast in an upscale Manhattan restaurant, each volume in this series provides an intellectual feast. It remains for each reader to determine, of course, which of the volumes will be most nutritious to her or his appetite. Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Carla O'Dell's If Only We Knew What We Know: The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice, Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline and The Dance of Change, Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak's What's the Big Idea?: Creating and Capitalizing on the Best New Management Thinking and also their Working Knowledge, Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton's The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action, and Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi's The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation.

Knowledge Management with practical applications.......2003-04-18

Excelente libro que proporciona las bases suficientes sobre la administración del conocimiento, además de tener como respaldo el prestigio de una casa de estudios como es la Universidad de Harvard.

Lo recomiendo ampliamente.

Knowledge Management, a layperson's perspective.......2001-11-02

Knowledge Management, published by Harvard Business School Press, is a compilation of articles excerpted from the Harvard Business Review covering a period from 1988-1997. The articles in general focus on the way organizations can acquire, use, and maintain knowledge in order to remain on the cutting edge of their fields. The underlying message of this book, expressed by Peter F. Drucker in "The Coming of the New Organization (page 1)," is that future organizations must take advantage of technology to collect and track data so that data can be translated into useful information.

The manner in which companies acquire knowledge from data can vary. Ikujiro Nonaka in his article "The Knowledge Creating Company (page 21)" provides a general approach. Nonaka suggests that creating new knowledge requires, in addition to the processing of objective information, tapping into the intuitions insights and hunches of individual employees and then making it available for use in the whole organization. Within this framework is an understanding of two types of knowledge: tacit and explicit. Both of these have to exist in an organization and exchange between and within each type is needed for creation of new knowledge. Another point in Nonaka's article is that the creation of new knowledge is not limited to one department or group but can occur at any level. It requires a system that encourages frequent dialogue and communication. Similar but more defined ideas are presented in David Garvin's "Building a Learning Organization (page 47)."

Garvin's approach focuses on the importance of having an organization that learns. Garvin defines a learning organization as one that is "skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights (page 51)." He describes five activities/skills that are the foundation for learning organizations. These are systematic problem solving, experimentation, and review of past experiences, learning from others, and transferring knowledge.

"Teaching Smart People How to Learn (page 81)" by Chris Argyris, deals with the way individuals within an organization can block the acquisition of new knowledge because of the way they reason about their behavior. In order to foster learning behavior in all employees, an organization must encourage productive reasoning. One caution is that use of productive reasoning can be threatening and actually hampers the process of learning if not implemented throughout the whole organization.

Leonard and Straus in "Putting Your Company's Whole Brain to Work (page 109)," address another way in which knowledge can be acquired. They identify two broad categories: left brained and right brained individuals, with different approaches to the same concept based on cognitive differences. Within these categories, there is great potential for conflict, which can stifle the creative process. However these different perspectives are important for full development of a new concept. Innovative companies should keep a balance of these different personality types to avoid stagnation and to encourage development of new ideas. The management of the cognitive types in a way that is productive for the company occurs through the process of creative abrasion.

One can surmise from the articles in general that data and information are valuable if they can be used to maintain the knowledge base or provide the basis for acquiring new knowledge. The organization that creates new knowledge encourages the following in its employees: creativity, a commitment to the goals of the organization, self-discipline, self-motivation, and individual exploration and identification of behaviors that may be barriers to learning. Cognitive preferences should be recognized and used to the companies' advantage. Finally, companies can learn from the best practices of others and from their customers. After knowledge is acquired, it can be disseminated for use throughout the organization and maintained in different ways.

One key method to maintain knowledge repeated in several articles is the importance of an environment that fosters innovation. Quinn et al, in "Managing Professional Intellect: Making the Most of the Best (page 181)," describe this as creating a culture of self-motivated creativity within an organization. There are several ways to do this: recruitment of the best for that field, forcing intensive early development (exposing new employees early to complex problems they have to solve), increasing professional challenges and rigorous evaluations.

Another way to maintain and use knowledge is through pioneering research, described by Brown in "Research that reinvents the Corporation (page 153)." In this process companies can combine basic research practices, with its new and fresh solutions, and applied research to the company's most pressing problems. Dissemination of new knowledge can occur by letting the employees experience the new innovation and so own it. As mentioned in the article by Nonaka, creation of a model that represents the new information is a way for transfer to the rest of the organization. Also the knowledge from the professional intellect within an organization can be transferred into the organization's systems, databases and operating technologies and so made available to others within the organization. An example of this is Merryl Lynch, which uses a database of regularly updated information to link its 18,000 agents.

Yet another tool for disseminating information within an organization is the learning history, described by Kleiner and Roth in "How to Make Experience Your Company's Best Teacher (page 137)." This makes use of the ages old community practice of storytelling to pass on lessons and traditions. The learning history collects data from a previous experience with insight from different levels of employees involved and puts it together in the form of a story that can be used in discussion groups within the organization. In companies where this has been used, it builds trust, provides an opportunity for collective reflection, and can be an effective way to transfer knowledge from one part of the company to another. In addition, incentives in the form of a report in response to the new innovation and achievement awards encourages employees to learn and helps with the dissemination of information.

Need to know vs, Nice to know.......2000-07-06

Having recently moved into the KM area I thought this book would be a 'must read'....but as anither reviewer pointed out if you have been keeping in touch with KM from the beginning (or whatever , from '96) would not find anything earth-shattering (that's the tacit selling job of the HBR logo, right?) in the compilation.

We all have heard about Drucker's "knowledge workers" and Nonaka's "Creation of Knowledge" and Argyris and his "teaching smart people" and Dorothy Leonard's "whole organisation brain" theory ad nauseum ad infinitum!

Customer Reviews:

KM is not for dummies or idiots.......2007-08-25

I have been reviewing the literature of Knowledge Management (KM) for over a year. I am surprised how much is written about KM, but how little it is employed in the workplace, learning place, and government. The Complete Guide is a fine introduction--even though it is five years old, providing the core concepts and a well-rounded Glossary of KM.

Now, if we could only get the decision-makers to collaborate with us fire-starters and implement KM, we wouldn't be idiots for lack of access to knowledge resources.

A good introductory overview of the subject.......2007-03-09

As the title indicates, this is a basic introduction to the topic of Knowlege Management (KM). For that purpose it does a good job of covering the subject and providing a basic outline for planning your own KM implementation in your organization. It's not "the only book you'll need" to implement KM, nor does it claim to be, although more details on references would be a good addition for those going on to the next level.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knowledge Management .......2006-11-10

An excellent book for novices and those wanting to start KM activities in a go. Simple and easy to read and very well structured.

Excellent grounding in knowledge management theory and practice!.......2005-12-31

Melissie is a wonderful person, a great writer, and a very knowledgeable knowledge management expert.

Her writing is engaging without being patronizing or overly complex. She provides a wonderful overview of a number of different knowledge management practices. This was one of my most-thumbed-through books when I was first learning about knowledge management (having been asked to lead a brand-new knowledge management department, I had to come up to speed fast!).

I highly recommend this book for anyone who's getting started in the field and wants to learn more, as well as anyone in any field who wants an overview of what knowledge management is all about.

An Excellent and Understandable Reference.......2005-12-02

By far the most useful of all my KM references. An excellent choice if you are trying to initiate a KM effort in your organization and to help people understand what KM is and isn't!

Average customer rating:

Textbook Quality
This book doesn't know what it is trying to say
Well Researched Academic Work
A must read for practitioners

Knowledge Management
Elias M Awad , and Hassan M. Ghaziri
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0130348201

Customer Reviews:

Textbook Quality.......2007-03-07

I have to say that I'm not quite done reading the book, but I have skimmed through the entire thing and have read several chapters. I would like to see more mentioned on security aspects of KM, but so far, not so bad.

I don't usually consider this in a book review, but I am disappointed with the physical quality of the book itself. It seems like the authors submitted a color document and took it to the cheapest publisher and had the darn thing photo copied. There are a number of illustrations that simply can't be read. The quality is terrible. This also goes for the labeling of figures, tables, etc.... On one page, I can read that it says Figure X.X but can't really see the text next to it. It is seriously detracting from the book.

The book could be the greatest book on KM in the world, but what good is it if you can't clearly see what is on the page?

This book doesn't know what it is trying to say.......2006-11-13

This book as assigned as the text for a Knowledge Management course I am currently taking. There are many problems with this text. The level of detail goes from theoritical (i.e., explaining what is knowledge, differentiating between tacit and explicit knowledge, etc.) to suggesting how to dress when performing a knowledge capture interview! Seriously, does a textbook on knowledge management need to get into the details how how to dress for an interview with an expert?

The other problem is that it states that expert systems have failed, but the KM systems that are discussed throughout the book appear to be just that - expert systems. I have read over half the text so far and I still don't get what they are really trying to tell me.

Lukily, my professor has assigned other readings and I am getting much more from these other papers. I also started reading "The complete idiot's guide to KM" and found that it is more useable that this text.

Well Researched Academic Work.......2005-06-01

This book is written by two academics primarily for classroom use. But, it still has value for practitioners. It provides a wide coverage of KM research findings. The first three chapters cover the theory underlying KM practice (of considerable value for practitioners). The authors also cover knowledge creation, capturing techniques, codification, transfer, and data mining.

This book is well worth the investment of your time.

Michael Beitler, Ph.D
Author of "Strategic Organizational Learning"

A must read for practitioners.......2004-06-01

Knowledge Management is a handy easy to read book that compiles up-to-date research in the field. It highlights the challenges that data management brings to the contomporary executives, and lays out the solutions that have been developed by leading researchers in a fastly growing area of management.

E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age

Average customer rating:

Excellent!!!
Knowledge Management = Learning Organization 2K
Packed With Knowledge!
good overview and introduction to elearning
E-Learning Review

E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age
Marc J. Rosenberg
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Beyond E-Learning: Approaches and Technologies to Enhance Organizational Knowledge, Learning, and Performance
e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning
E-learning Tools and Technologies: A consumer's guide for trainers, teachers, educators, and instructional designers
Sustaining Distance Training: Integrating Learning Technologies into the Fabric of the Enterprise
Designing Web-Based Training: How to Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime

ASIN: 0071362681

Book Description

Internet and intranet technologies offer tremendous opportunities to bring learning into the mainstream of business. E-Learning outlines how to develop an organization-wide learning strategy based on cutting-edge technologies and explains the dramatic strategic, organizational, and technology issues involved.

Written for professionals responsible for leading the revolution in workplace learning, E-Learning takes a broad, strategic perspective on corporate learning. This wake-up call for executives everywhere discusses:
• Requirements for building a viable e-learning strategy
• How online learning will change the nature of training organizations
• Knowledge management and other new forms of e-learning

Marc J. Rosenberg, Ph.D. (Hillsborough, NJ) is an independent consultant specializing in knowledge management, e-learning strategy and the reinvention of training. Prior to this, he was a senior direction and kowledge management field leader for consulting firm DiamondCluster International.

Download Description

Learn what companies like AT&T, Cisco Systems, Dell Computer, IBM, Lucent Technologies, Merril Lynch, Prudential, and U S West and others have accomplished with e-learning.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!!.......2003-12-13

This book is a must!!! It is an essential approach for understanding eLearning beyond the myriad of applications and placing it as part of a wider framework.

Knowledge Management = Learning Organization 2K.......2001-11-16

Marc Rosenberg is the Peter Senge of Knowledge Management. He builds on the key aspects that Senge acknowledges as key competitive aspects of organizations that need to learn, adapt, and stay solvent. He starts from identifying the difference between instruction vs information and the fact that so many times organizations get caught up in the "who" and the "how" instead of the "what" and the "why." For any trainer this book was interesting from the standpoint of how he defines different levels of knowledge. There are some key graphics and useful charts that help one grasp the complexity of e-learning. I started reading and thought it would be more about on-line learning, but he really took it much broader quickly. On-line learning is only a drop in the bucket of uses for the intranet. As much as we have out there he points out that there is much more to be saturated. Technology is a useful modality that can complement and enhance existing training. There was no threat to the training industry in his book. Training is still essential--but it needs to accomidate the information age and be much more timely, flexible, relevant. The one criticism I have is the fact that he doesn't address the fact that some people still need to have the classroom experience. There is the framework that you can increase aquisition of information, but if some of the psychological aspects of employee needs are not met--you get a drop in productivity, employee satisfaction and employee retention. There is still a lot to debate but he makes a compeling case regarding e-learning and knowledge management.

Packed With Knowledge!.......2001-09-20

Author Marc Rosenberg provides one of the first books devoted to strategies for developing organization-wide, online learning. He goes beyond the obvious technological challenges of Web-based training to explain that technology and content are meaningless without a culture of learning. But creating this culture means confronting dramatic strategic, organizational and political issues. In this roadmap for building and sustaining a learning culture, Rosenberg offers an essential balance between the structure of e-learning (design and technology issues) and its implementation (acceptance and support issues). His book is an impassioned wake-up call to all executives who are concerned about the future of their organizations. To begin building your company’s culture of learning, ... arm yourself with this practical, yet philosophical, manual — a weapon for professionals on the front lines of the revolution in workspace learning.

good overview and introduction to elearning.......2001-06-29

The author brings a good overview and sense of sincere understanding to the elearning space. The book does any excellent job of arming the internal champion of elearning with the data required to show the executive team the importance, value and return on investment.

E-Learning Review.......2001-04-13

This book walks the reader through all aspects of elearning, from the human side of learning theory to the technical side of capability development and deployment. This was an excellent starter book that covers all the bases when it comes to the subject of elearning. The index clearly presents all of the content so the book may also be used as a quick reference guide where the reader can focus only on those areas of interest.

Information Ecology: Mastering the Information and Knowledge Environment

Average customer rating:

When a change is needed
Useful and informative book with new insights
Good theme but more buzzwords and bull than practical advice

Information Ecology: Mastering the Information and Knowledge Environment
Thomas H. Davenport , and Laurance Prusak
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Knowing Organization: How Organizations Use Information to Construct Meaning, Create Knowledge, and Make Decisions
Working Knowledge
Information Technology: Strategic Decision-Making for Managers
Usability Testing and Research (Part of the Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication)
Enabling Knowledge Creation: How to Unlock the Mystery of Tacit Knowledge and Release the Power of Innovation

ASIN: 0195111680

Book Description

According to virtually every business writer, we are in the midst of a new "information age," one that will revolutionize how workers work, how companies compete, perhaps even how thinkers think. And it is certainly true that Information Technology has become a giant industry. In America, more that 50% of all capital spending goes into IT, accounting for more than a third of the growth of the entire American economy in the last four years. Over the last decade, IT spending in the U.S. is estimated at 3 trillion dollars. And yet, by almost all accounts, IT hasn't worked all that well. Why is it that so many of the companies that have invested in these costly new technologies never saw the returns they had hoped for? And why do workers, even CEOs, find it so hard to adjust to new IT systems? In Information Ecology, Thomas Davenport proposes a revolutionary new way to look at information management, one that takes into account the total information environment within an organization. Arguing that the information that comes from computer systems may be considerably less valuable to managers than information that flows in from a variety of other sources, the author describes an approach that encompasses the company's entire information environment, the management of which he calls information ecology. Only when organizations are able to combine and integrate these diverse sources of information, and to take them to a higher level where information becomes knowledge, will they realize the full power of their information ecology. Thus, the author puts people, not technology, at the center of the information world. Information and knowledge are human creations, he points out, and we will never excel at managing them until we give people a primary role. Citing examples drawn from his own extensive research and consulting including such major firms as A.T. and T., American Express, Ford, General Electric, Hallmark, Hoffman La Roche, IBM, Polaroid, Pacific Bell, and Toshiba Davenport illuminates the critical components of information ecology, and at every step along the way, he provides a quick assessment survey for managers to see how their organization measures up. He discusses the importance of developing an overall strategy for information use; explores the infighting, jealousy over resources, and political battles that can frustrate information sharing; underscores the importance of looking at how people really use information (how they search for it, modify it, share it, hoard it, and even ignore it) and the kinds of information they want; describes the ideal information staff, who not only store and retrive information, but also prune, provide context, enhance style, and choose the right presentation medium (in an age of work overload, vital information must be presented compellingly so the appropriate people recognize and use it); examines how information management should be done on a day to day basis; and presents several alternatives to the machine engineering approach to structuring and modeling information. Davenport makes explicit what many managers already know in their gut: that useful information flow depends on people, not equipment. In Information Ecology he paves the way for all managers to build a more competitive, creative, practical information environment for their companies.

Customer Reviews:

When a change is needed.......2004-06-17

This book offers great insight into creating an information envionment within the company. I think that the numerous examples for real life companies provide credibility to his claims. However this is for people who are building and IT strucutre for scratch or are looking for a paradigm shift in how they do IT? If your IT envionment is not producing results this is a great place to start. It provides the theory to apply to real life situations. Understanding the necessity of Information Technology is essential for implementing results oriented systems.

Useful and informative book with new insights.......1998-01-12

I found this to be a useful and informative book with new insights, especially in the area of developing a wholistic view of an information enterprise. Most previous books seem to be limited to just MIS departments and ignore the fact that managing information is not something that just happens in a vacumn. I also found the diagnosis section to be useful and grounded in real work versus the "blackboard" consulting suggestions that sometimes comes from academics whose ideas are not grounded in real world experiences.

Good theme but more buzzwords and bull than practical advice.......1997-09-05

I was disappointed by this book. While its central thesis (that MIS should include human and political considerations, not just technical ones) is valid and needs championing, I found the text repetitive, lacking in clear advice, and full of buzzwords used to restate the obvious. Mr. Davenport is clearly an expert on how to run MIS at large companies. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to glean applicable lessons from his book

Knowledge Management Toolkit, The: Practical Techniques for Building a Knowledge Management System

Average customer rating:

An outstanding practical KM book
Black on Dark Grey
Excellent Book for KM practitioners
This book is Weak
Academic text, adn some practical advice

Knowledge Management Toolkit, The: Practical Techniques for Building a Knowledge Management System
Amrit Tiwana
Manufacturer: Pearson Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Knowledge Management (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knowledge Management (The Complete Idiot's Guide)
Working Knowledge
If Only We Knew What We Know: The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice
Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice

ASIN: 0130128538

Customer Reviews:

An outstanding practical KM book .......2007-09-26

Fot the people wuo is involved with KM, you may have read a lot of information about it. KM is a complex and theoretical topic, with a lot of theory. This book takes yoy step by step, since conceps to implementation, helping you with a KM CD that has usefull tools for the KM practice.

Luis Iván de la Fuente

Black on Dark Grey.......2007-08-18

This book was purchased for a university course.

It appears that the charts, tables and graphical headings were in colour at some stage, but this edition/printing is all in black and white. The result is black text on dark grey background on all the charts and tables.

Rather unpleasant.

Excellent Book for KM practitioners.......2004-04-22

This is a book that makes a good balance between theory and practice. It presents a complete step by step guide to implement KM in your organization.

I recommend it for people who are in charge of a Knowledge Management Project or defining a KM strategy for their organizations. Is not an only "theory" book like most text or articles on knowledge management.

Illustrative book with templates, checklists that can help you organize your KM project.

Cesar Castillo

This book is Weak.......2003-04-13

This book is a poor application of the KM subject. It has non-sensical terms like "knowledge management server" that would only make sense to a Boeing engineer...

Academic text, adn some practical advice.......2002-03-23

Most texts on knowledge management are strictly theory. This is one of the few that I have seen that has taken a "hands on" approach to KM. Certainly a lofty goal, and the author does a good job trying to reach it, but still falls somewhat short.

The diagrams, checklists, and templates are thought-provoking, and will help you design YOUR KM program. Full lifecycle, thorough, and plenty of case studies. Overall, I'm quite pleased with its content.

One will almost immediately notice the research and writing style--the author is obviously from the academic world.

Data Stores, Data Warehousing, and the Zachman Framework: Managing Enterprise Knowledge (Mcgraw-Hill Series on Data Warehousing and Data Management)
Average customer rating:

Maybe Worth Having

Broader perspectives.

Helps relate warehousing to business use

Intro to IS architecture from the masters

Its supposed to be vague

Data Stores, Data Warehousing, and the Zachman Framework: Managing Enterprise Knowledge (Mcgraw-Hill Series on Data Warehousing and Data Management)
William H. Inmon , John A. Zachman , and Jonathan G. Geiger
Manufacturer: Computing Mcgraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Enterprise Architecture Planning: Developing a Blueprint for Data, Applications, and Technology

Enterprise Architecture Using the Zachman Framework (MIS)

Designing Quality Databases with IDEF1X Information Models

Data Modeling Made Simple: A Practical Guide for Business & Information Technology Professionals

ASIN: 0070314292

Book Description

Today's corporations are increasingly using data warehouses and data stores as repositories for the vast amount of data they generate. The Zachman Framework is a framework to organize and analyze data so it can be turned into a source of knowledge. Here is the first and last word on this hot topic, from the father of data warehousing, William Inmon and John Zachman, inventors of the framework. The book explains how companies can apply the Zachman Framework to their own data warehouses and stores, and shows through case studies how to manage knowledge about the enterprise.

Customer Reviews:

Maybe Worth Having.......2005-05-06

I wanted to love this book, but I really just ended up liking it. The presentation was complete and exhaustive, and that was a challenge. Ideas are often fragmented across chapters in deference to the book's organization and subject matter. I especially liked the glossary and the bibliography at the end.

I like the book's topics. I could find no faults with the ideas it presents. But this is NOT an introductory book by any means.

If you are a systems professional interested in data management, familiar with data warehousing and the Zachman Framework, then I think you will like this book too.

Otherwise this book is tough to recommend. It does describe the Zachman Framework really well, but there are other sources for that. It describes approaches to data warehouses and operational data stores, but again other sources to do that too and do it better, in my opinion.

Four stars for most of us data management types. Something less than that for the rest of us.

Broader perspectives........2002-06-07

Instead of the traditional life cycle, or "waterfall" approach to development, the Zachman framework presents architecture for organizing the perspective of the planner, owner, builder, designer and programming subcontractor. Traditionally we may be very good at thinking about data and function, but Zachman adds the dimensions of network, organization, schedule and motivation. Laying out these perspectives in a matrix allows the different roles to communicate better.

In the framework matrix, for some combination of perspectives there are tools available, but for many there are not, so the methodology is uneven. The framework presents an organization of metadata associated with organizing the artifacts or a project, particularly emphasizing the important of metadata about people, location, and motivation.

If your are looking for a warehouse design/blue print book, addressing data staging or star schemas then this book is not the best for you, but if you are looking for a book that offers a means of communicating between the data roles and stresses the need for guiding principles this book would be useful.

Helps relate warehousing to business use.......2000-04-28

This is a useful book that I have bought multiple copies of over the years and given to users and technical teams. The Zachman framework is an ideal way to represent views of systems that are useful for the various stakeholders, from business leaders to the technical staff. The book explains the various views in the framework completely and in plain English, useful for talking outside the IS shop and selling concepts. The value of this book is in how solidly it reinforces the critical nature of data and importance of good data management, even beyond the warehousing level.

Intro to IS architecture from the masters.......1999-03-19

The foreword talks of this book as one of the great books of our time on IS architecture and knowledge management and the book lives up to being just that. Expand your mind . Read this book . A must read for all those working on Decision support systems and Knowledge management.

Its supposed to be vague.......1998-06-02

The purpose of the book is not to provide a blueprint so that you can plug in components and, voila, your warehouse is built. It is to provide a framework, a set of parameters, a way of looking at the task of building the warehouse. Probably explains why they call it the Zachman Framework and not the Zachman Blueprint.

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