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Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology: Improving Business Project Execution

Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology Improving Business Project Execution

  • Author:
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  • ISBN: 9781118000014
  • Published In: August 2011
  • Format: Hardback , 233 pages
  • Jurisdiction: International ? Disclaimer:
    Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only
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    A valuable guide to making better IT decisions within business

    Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology is designed to be both easy-to-use and immediately useful. Engaging and accessible, this book has been created to help you focus on improving business project execution through effective IT optimization and assessment. While it skillfully outlines a framework for optimizing and assessing IT, it does not get into specific technologies per se, given the rapid and increasing pace of technical change across the world today.

    Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology involves a step-by-step process whereby various aspects of IT are evaluated. In addition to the book itself, a companion website offers templates, checklists, and related materials for your reference and use. With this book as your guide, you'll be able to generate an accurate and reliable assessment of a company's IT operations and identify areas on which to focus to optimize IT. Topics such as "against what to assess operations" and "optimized as compared to what" will be addressed throughout the course of this reliable resource.

    • Introduces the concept of the IT Pillars Model (IPM) for optimizing and assessing IT and examines where and how the IPM fits into the overall operations of a business
    • Filled with the author's experience of working across the field of IT in both small and large companies
    • Offers the most detailed, hands-on user's guide to the principles and practice of the IPM by examining each aspect of the IPM in the context of case studies
    • Covers the topic of tools and reporting, including analytical tools such as ROI, benchmarking, and metrics

    Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology provides valuable insights into this discipline, but the coverage of IT in this book extends beyond technology itself. It also covers various aspects of the people, processes, and technology components associated with IT as a whole.

  • Preface xiii

    PART ONE

    Introduction to the IT Pillars Model

    CHAPTER 1

    IT Fundamentals 3

    Optimizing and Assessing IT 4

    Introducing the IT Pillars Model 5

    Summary 12

    CHAPTER 2

    The Role of IT in Business Operations 13

    Models and Definitions 13

    Strategy 16

    Business Model 17

    Operating Model 17

    Enterprise Architecture 17

    CHAPTER 3

    The Strategy Pillar 21

    From Strategy to Delivery 21

    People 23

    Process 23

    Technology 28

    Next Steps 31

    CHAPTER 4

    The Project Management Pillar 33

    From Strategy to Delivery 33

    People 37

    Process 39

    Technology 39

    Next Steps 42

    CHAPTER 5

    The Operational Excellence Pillar 43

    From Strategy to Delivery 43

    People 47

    Process 48

    Technology 49

    Ending with the Customers 51

    CHAPTER 6

    The IPM Scorecard 55

    Overview of the Process 55

    Example Scorecard 57

    Template Details 64

    Summary 64

    PART TWO

    Case Study 1: A Mature Organization

    CHAPTER 7

    Introduction to Case Study 1 67

    Company Background 67

    Financials 69

    Operations 69

    IT Organization 69

    Corporate and IT Goals 70

    CHAPTER 8

    The Strategy Pillar of a Mature Organization 73

    Background 73

    People 73

    Process 79

    Technology 83

    CHAPTER 9

    The Project Management Pillar of a Mature Organization 91

    People 91

    Process 98

    Technology 99

    CHAPTER 10

    The Operational Excellence Pillar of a Mature Organization 107

    People 107

    Process 111

    Technology 115

    CHAPTER 11

    The IPM Scorecard of a Mature Organization 123

    Assessed 123

    Optimized 126

    Summary 131

    PART THREE

    Case Study 2: A Growing Organization

    CHAPTER 12

    Introduction to Case Study 2 135

    Company Background 135

    Financials 137

    Operations 137

    IT Organization 137

    Corporate and IT Goals 139

    CHAPTER 13

    The Strategy Pillar of a Growing Organization 141

    People 143

    Process 147

    Technology 151

    CHAPTER 14

    The Project Management Pillar of a Growing Organization 159

    People 159

    Process 165

    Technology 165

    CHAPTER 15

    The Operational Excellence Pillar of a Growing Organization 175

    People 175

    Process 182

    Technology 186

    CHAPTER 16

    The IPM Scorecard of a Growing Organization 191

    Assessed 191

    Optimized 194

    Summary 199

    PART FOUR

    Tools and Reporting

    CHAPTER 17

    IT Measures, Metrics, and Indicators 203

    Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom 204

    Measures, Metrics, and Indicators 204

    Benchmarking 205

    ROI 205

    CHAPTER 18

    Reporting 207

    Simple IT Assessment 208

    PPT Assessment 208

    Cost Assessment 208

    Acquisition Integration Assessment 210

    Red Flag Report 211

    Summary 212

    CHAPTER 19

    Conclusion 213

    About the Web Site 221

    Notes 223

    About the Author 227

    Index 229

  • K. SCOTT PROCTOR is the CTO and Head of Quality for the Global Marketing Services Division of GSI Commerce, now a part of eBay. His experience includes working as an executive director at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in the United States and as the CIO at GE Healthcare Life Sciences in Sweden. Proctor earned his BA, MBA, and MS from the University of Virginia and is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charterholder. He is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and has an ITIL (v3) Foundation Certificate in IT service management. Proctor is the author of two editions of a book on financial modeling published by Wiley, as well as a number of scientific publications in the field of ophthalmology.

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