I have what some people call a "Man Van." It has 4WD, alloy wheels, big ice-grip snow tires, tinted glass, and a 200-watt stereo. David E. Davis, past editor of Automobile Magazine, once wrote that his Man Van was his favorite car, even compared to his Ferrari and Dodge Viper.

Back in the 1960s, then-Prime Minister of England Harold Macmillan was supposedly asked by a journalist what might blow his government's policies off course: "Events, dear boy, events," was his response.

Back in the 1960s, then-Prime Minister of England Harold Macmillan was supposedly asked by a journalist what might blow his government's policies off course: "Events, dear boy, events," was his response.

Today we have no shortage of people opining away at the cause-and-effect relationships between educational inputs (schools, teachers, pedagogy) and outputs (student knowledge and success) with nowhere near a sufficient understanding of how the human brain actually works.

Today we have no shortage of people opining away at the cause-and-effect relationships between educational inputs (schools, teachers, pedagogy) and outputs (student knowledge and success) with nowhere near a sufficient understanding of how the human brain actually works.

Agile software development and agile project management have shown considerable success in helping organizations develop better software and better manage development projects in the face of changing requirements and evolving technologies. In one sense, agile is about managing rapidly changing project factors and requirements.

I was speaking with some fellow CIOs and other business leaders recently about their sources of competitive advantage. A few were not able to articulate clearly from whence sprang their source of sustainable advantage in the market.

Agile software development and agile project management have shown considerable success in helping organizations develop better software and better manage development projects in the face of changing requirements and evolving technologies. In one sense, agile is about managing rapidly changing project factors and requirements.

When evaluating suppliers, clients tend to focus on suppliers' resources because these are highly visible onsite tours, balance sheets, and résumés. But they should be more interested in suppliers' ability to turn these resources -- their physical and human assets such as physical facilities, technologies, tools, and workforce -- into capabilities that, in turn, can be combined to create high-level customer-facing competencies.

When evaluating suppliers, clients tend to focus on suppliers' resources because these are highly visible onsite tours, balance sheets, and résumés. But they should be more interested in suppliers' ability to turn these resources -- their physical and human assets such as physical facilities, technologies, tools, and workforce -- into capabilities that, in turn, can be combined to create high-level customer-facing competencies.

[The e-government] portal represents much more than the development of a mechanism for promoting transparency, accountability and control in regard to the public accounts of the State. This portal represents the true transformation of our State, particularly in Public Administration, which "step by step" has been adopting new efficiencies, innovation and accountability standards.

-- Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Timor-Leste prime minister 1

[The e-government] portal represents much more than the development of a mechanism for promoting transparency, accountability and control in regard to the public accounts of the State. This portal represents the true transformation of our State, particularly in Public Administration, which "step by step" has been adopting new efficiencies, innovation and accountability standards.

-- Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Timor-Leste prime minister 1

Real-time coverage of the recent disasters in Japan, the social unrest in the Middle East and Africa, and the Allied bombing campaign underway in Libya all expose the limitations of such information; specifically, the clear need to put real-time information into some kind of context with the use of additional, supplemental information.

Real-time coverage of the recent disasters in Japan, the social unrest in the Middle East and Africa, and the Allied bombing campaign underway in Libya all expose the limitations of such information; specifically, the clear need to put real-time information into some kind of context with the use of additional, supplemental information.

The global financial crisis from 2007 to the present has been viewed as an opportunity by many Chinese business leaders. According to a 2010 ranking of the global Tech 100, several Chinese technology firms have grown into the world’s most innovative and competitive players.

The global financial crisis from 2007 to the present has been viewed as an opportunity by many Chinese business leaders. According to a 2010 ranking of the global Tech 100, several Chinese technology firms have grown into the world’s most innovative and competitive players.

Chinese technology firms are rapidly growing into the world's most innovative and competitive players.

Chinese technology firms are rapidly growing into the world's most innovative and competitive players.

As we begin to emerge out of the recession, there will be a tendency to take care of the technology pieces that have been neglected for years, such as server and software upgrades. While some of those things absolutely must be addressed, managers are encouraged to look at this as an opportunity to innovate around what needs to be done.

As we begin to emerge out of the recession, there will be a tendency to take care of the technology pieces that have been neglected for years, such as server and software upgrades. While some of those things absolutely must be addressed, managers are encouraged to look at this as an opportunity to innovate around what needs to be done.

Last we heard from this thread, we ended with an example of visualization's time-saving benefits (see "'Click Here to Learn This One Crazy Secret...'" 27 January 2011, and "V Is for Victory --

In the US and in industrial countries around the world, the recent economic crisis has triggered the first serious consideration of national spending priorities for more than a decade. Supposedly, every option is being explored and unfortunately, in many cases deficits are being balanced out by reduction in long-term investments in existing infrastructure.

It is all too easy to make high-level general statements about CIOs and IT organizations. Often these statements work from the assumption that all CIOs and all IT organizations are alike. For example, since the turn of the year, we've seen a lot of "CIO's Concerns for 2011" and similar articles.

In last week's Advisor (see "Short-Term Tactical Approaches to Application Modernization and Rationalization, Part I," 9 March 2011), I provided some background about the problems associated with many legacy modernization

In Part I of this Executive Update series,1 we discussed modernizing core banking systems through the analogy of heart surgery as well as the approaches I have seen as banking IT strategies evolve in this era of change in the financial industry. In particular, we covered "putting shunts" in the "patient" through application transformation and integration.