As we explore in this Executive Update, changes in processes and markets mean that businesses should reorganize to meet new demands for agility and access to special skills. This has led to increasingly modular-, workgroup-, and project-oriented organizations. We see this strongly within the IT industry, but it is becoming more common in other areas as increasing digitization brings larger amounts of work within range of digital manipulation and sharing.

I've been spending a lot of time with social media analytics and exploring how organizations are adopting and applying the technology. There are a number of obstacles confronting organizations seeking to implement social media analytics. These include technical and organizational considerations, as well as dealing with societal or consumer concerns when it comes to privacy. The latter appear to be particularly troublesome for end-user organizations.

I've been spending a lot of time with social media analytics and exploring how organizations are adopting and applying the technology. There are a number of obstacles confronting organizations seeking to implement social media analytics. These include technical and organizational considerations, as well as dealing with societal or consumer concerns when it comes to privacy. The latter appear to be particularly troublesome for end-user organizations.

So says Dumbledore in J.K. Rowling's book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, commenting on a mirror that shows us what our most desperate desires want us to see.

Prof. Richard Nolan predicts and elaborates on the eight kinds of transformational corporate initiatives we'll see in 2015. In this Executive Update, he implores executives to move away from the "old" 20th-century ways to the future ways of 21st-century leadership and corporate structures.

Janet Gregory and I have been sharing our success stories of the whole-team approach to testing and quality for almost 15 years. So why isn't everyone doing this? Well, even good ideas can take a long time to catch on. Look how long it took to convince medical doctors to wash their hands. We continue to hear success stories from people embracing collaboration.

Different parts of an enterprise architecture evolve at different rates: some change frequently, while others take longer. So it is not surprising that the pace of change is seen as an important consideration when making EA decisions.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is already having a big impact on the transportation industry. Probably nowhere is this being felt more than with the railroads. I know of a number of projects under way utilizing sensors, analytics, and mobile technologies to optimize rail operations by collecting and analyzing data to determine real-time vehicle location and operating factors (e.g., average acceleration, speed, idle times, number of stops), and to assess KPIs on equipment wear and roadbed conditions.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is already having a big impact on the transportation industry. Probably nowhere is this being felt more than with the railroads. I know of a number of projects under way utilizing sensors, analytics, and mobile technologies to optimize rail operations by collecting and analyzing data to determine real-time vehicle location and operating factors (e.g., average acceleration, speed, idle times, number of stops), and to assess KPIs on equipment wear and roadbed conditions.

This Executive Update invites you to reconsider a process-driven business process management methodology despite vendor training and previously conceived notions of how you plan and design for a BPMS.

This Executive Update invites you to reconsider a process-driven business process management methodology despite vendor training and previously conceived notions of how you plan and design for a BPMS.

There are many challenges that can potentially derail even the most promising BI opportunities. In this one-hour webinar, Cutter Senior Consultant Nancy Williams, coauthor of The Profit Impact of Business Intelligence, will help you overcome some of the common challenges that prevent organizations from deriving full value from their BI program and identify new BI-driven profit opportunities.

Watch Now

Join Nancy Williams and learn how savvy BI leaders leverage data assets for performance improvement & competitive advantage.

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we've compiled the five most intriguing articles published by the Business Technology Strategies practice this year for today's Advisor. How did we come up with this list? We chose the articles that garnered the most feedback from Cutter Members and clients and those that created controversy among Cutter Senior Consultants and Fellows.

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we've compiled the five most intriguing articles published by the Business & Enterprise Architecture practice for today's Advisor. How did we come up with this list? We chose the articles that garnered the most feedback from Cutter Members. Your questions and comments not only make it possible to create lists like this -- they help focus Cutter's Senior Consultants' research on the areas that are most important to organizations like yours. So please keep your feedback coming.

"Of all the different types of technological change we have experienced in the last 1,000 years, it is the technologies of information and communications that seem to most capture our imaginations."

— Joseph Feller, Editor

At the moment, the Internet is buzzing with folks who are disappointed that the year 2015 (in which the late 1980's film Back to the Future: Part II is set) is upon us, and there is not a single flying skateboard in sight.

As you will see in the practitioner article in this issue of CBR, our co-contributors Cutter Senior Consultant Claude Baudoin and Matt Ganis demonstrate the scale of innovation potential and the complexity surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT).

As you will see in the practitioner article in this issue of CBR, our co-contributors Cutter Senior Consultant Claude Baudoin and Matt Ganis demonstrate the scale of innovation potential and the complexity surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT).

Deriving firm conclusions from sparse input is almost impossible, of course.

Deriving firm conclusions from sparse input is almost impossible, of course.

It seems to me that the speed and success of the IoT's evolution will be driven largely by the willingness of early adopters to experiment -- and for them to share the results of both failure and success with each other. This was true for the Internet itself, for social media and Web 2.0, for the API economy, and so on. There is a tremendously important category of IT entirely predicated on integration and open standards -- and the IoT falls in this very category.

This survey examines organizations' investment in and revenue from the Internet of Things (IoT); areas in which the IoT will see major adoption; and the benefits, challenges, and disruptive effects of the IoT. Almost half (46%) of the 48 responding organizations are headquartered or based in North America, with 25% in Europe, 17% in Asia/Australia/Pacific, 6% in the Middle East/Africa, and 6% in South America.

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we've compiled the five most intriguing articles published by the Data Insight & Social BI practice this year for today's Advisor. How did we come up with this list? We chose the articles that garnered the most feedback from Cutter Members and clients and those that created controversy among Cutter Senior Consultants and Fellows.

Though rarely done, there is no reason why an entire IT organization should not encompass Agile principles. The transformation involves individual employees, teams, groups of teams, programs, management -- even customers -- and the outcomes can be astounding. This Executive Report describes that journey, from conception to successful completion. After laying ground rules, the report outlines a detailed three-phase incremental evolution. It serves as a guide through the entire organizational Agile terrain, pointing out common pitfalls, offering solutions to problems that will be encountered along the way, and providing case studies.

Until now, the focus of the Agile movement has been predominantly on teams and sometimes programs. Back in 2003, when Agile was not even widely accepted for software teams, my team and I began transforming entire IT organizations. As there was no precedent, these organizations learned from trial and error. This Executive Summary and its accompanying Executive Report compile knowledge gained through years of experiment and application, all of which led to proven effective practices. They provide directions and pointers that, if followed, will lead to a consistent and evolving Agile organization.