With apologies to people who loved the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, the title above is an easy metaphor for what often happens these days when an organization attempts to develop and launch its own social network: it builds it, opens it with a fanfare ... and almost no one comes to the party.

While many of us thought that cloud computing would take longer to become established than it has, that virtualization would virtualize at its own pace, and that strategic sourcing would stay tactical before it became strategic (in a decade or so), we're finding now that IT is moving at an unprecedented pace.

In this day and age of WikiLeaks, can we really consider any data in electronic format truly safe? This biting question is raised again and again in government, military, and corporate offices the world over.

In this day and age of WikiLeaks, can we really consider any data in electronic format truly safe? This biting question is raised again and again in government, military, and corporate offices the world over.

This is the second Executive Update in a three-part series looking at the extent to which organizational software development teams are using the tools and techniques associated with open source software projects. The series is based on data from a survey Cutter conducted in late 2010.

Innovation has never been more important to business survival. The ever-quickening pulse of business shortens the time in which a new product or process can be of value and increases the number of new ideas that must be in the pipeline. At the same time, continued focusing on core competency has reduced the diversity of internal resources, and limited funding has resulted in a need for greater efficiency.

Innovation has never been more important to business survival. The ever-quickening pulse of business shortens the time in which a new product or process can be of value and increases the number of new ideas that must be in the pipeline. At the same time, continued focusing on core competency has reduced the diversity of internal resources, and limited funding has resulted in a need for greater efficiency.

Experienced coaches may have observed this effect: after one or two years of agile transition, the team is working really well.

Among my IT consultant associates, business is way up, with 2011 looking quite good. This is quite a turnaround from 2009, when all I heard was moaning, wailing, and grinding of teeth. But, as they say, consultants are the first to go and the first to come back.

Among my IT consultant associates, business is way up, with 2011 looking quite good. This is quite a turnaround from 2009, when all I heard was moaning, wailing, and grinding of teeth. But, as they say, consultants are the first to go and the first to come back.

Among my IT consultant associates, business is way up, with 2011 looking quite good. This is quite a turnaround from 2009, when all I heard was moaning, wailing, and grinding of teeth. But, as they say, consultants are the first to go and the first to come back.

Among my IT consultant associates, business is way up, with 2011 looking quite good. This is quite a turnaround from 2009, when all I heard was moaning, wailing, and grinding of teeth. But, as they say, consultants are the first to go and the first to come back.

We often encounter CIOs and other senior IT executives who seem to be unable to answer simple questions about the IT activity for which they're responsible. They simply don't have the data.

The three hardest questions seem to be:

1. Exactly on what -- and where -- are we spending our company's IT resources?

Welcome to the sixth anniversary edition of my Enterprise Architect's "New Year's Resolutions." I hope this Advisor will give you food for thought and some inspiration for architectural growth in 2011.

I am a futurist. My job is to identify what's changing and what isn't changing, how fast it's changing, the interactions betwixt and between (or cumulative impact of multiple change elements), and what C-suite executives can do to benefit from change. I forecast that enterprise risk management (ERM) will be the defining element of enterprise success for the second decade of the third millennium. For the past nine months, I have been intensely examining the possible future trajectory of the practice and practitioners of ERM.

I am a futurist. My job is to identify what's changing and what isn't changing, how fast it's changing, the interactions betwixt and between (or cumulative impact of multiple change elements), and what C-suite executives can do to benefit from change. I forecast that enterprise risk management (ERM) will be the defining element of enterprise success for the second decade of the third millennium. For the past nine months, I have been intensely examining the possible future trajectory of the practice and practitioners of ERM.

There's been a lot of talk about the need for organizations to enable their employees to access, view, and interact with corporate data using mobile devices such as smartphones (iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android-based, etc.) and tablet devices (iPad, PlayBook, etc.) via reports, interactive dashboards, data visualization, ad hoc reporting, and other BI functionality.

There's been a lot of talk about the need for organizations to enable their employees to access, view, and interact with corporate data using mobile devices such as smartphones (iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android-based, etc.) and tablet devices (iPad, PlayBook, etc.) via reports, interactive dashboards, data visualization, ad hoc reporting, and other BI functionality.

IT strategy

The impact of consumer-oriented devices (tablets, smartphones, etc.) will increase dramatically, necessitating IT departments to update and expand their architectures and standards. Those that embrace these technologies will enable knowledge worker creativity and innovation. Those that do not will spend increasing amounts of nonproductive time in a vain attempt to police and control the uncontrollable.

IT strategy

The impact of consumer-oriented devices (tablets, smartphones, etc.) will increase dramatically, necessitating IT departments to update and expand their architectures and standards. Those that embrace these technologies will enable knowledge worker creativity and innovation. Those that do not will spend increasing amounts of nonproductive time in a vain attempt to police and control the uncontrollable.

The success or failure of negotiations often depends on your ability to negotiate in the presence of strong emotions. You need to develop an awareness of what you are feeling during the negotiation and be able to respond productively to those emotions.

The success or failure of negotiations often depends on your ability to negotiate in the presence of strong emotions. You need to develop an awareness of what you are feeling during the negotiation and be able to respond productively to those emotions.