Methodology is not one of the common characteristics of the most successful groups we have experienced in our work. As we examine in this Executive Report by Joanna Zweig, Priya Marsonia, and César Idrovo, it is worth exploring ingredients that affect how a group works and succeeds together.

Groups apply different methodologies hoping to successfully complete important, innovative, and meaningful work, but their projects do not always reach their full potential. These methodologies independently address how individuals interact in collaboration for organizational effectiveness, business management, or technology advances.

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.

This is the third and last in a series of Executive Updates that examines enterprise architecture (EA).1 Part I addressed questions regarding the practices of EA organizations, while Part II focused on the perceived effectiveness of EA.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Innovation & Enterprise Agility practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Innovation & Enterprise Agility practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Agile practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Business Technology Trends and Impacts practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Business Technology Trends and Impacts practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Business-IT Strategies practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most read articles in Cutter's Enterprise Architecture practice over this past year. Each article offers unique insight into the challenges of creating and deploying a successful enterprise architecture. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

Social networks and cloud computing solutions are two of the contemporary trends governments are eagerly trying to engage and use. Mexico's recent experience exploring ideas related to cloud computing and social networks shows that through these technologies, governments can go beyond being users and become driving forces within the new technological landscape, while providing a new generation of e-government services.

Automated unit testing is an essential engineering practice for successful agile software development. A related practice, test-driven (or test-first) development (TDD), takes the idea of unit testing further, mandating the writing of tests before production code as a way of ensuring good, testable design. While the benefits of automated testing seem clear, teams struggle with making the writing of unit tests routine and effective.

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Business Intelligence practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles. Look for these lists from each of our nine practice areas for a compilation of Cutter's 45 most intriguing articles of the year.

The search for simplicity is a long and arduous task, compared to which the Arthurian quest for the Holy Grail may no longer seem so daunting after all. By the time we slay one dark knight, another evil sorceress appears on our path.

Innovation has been a key part of the American popular consciousness since Thomas Edison started applying the principles of mass production to the processes of invention. Innovation has been around for a long, long time -- yet innovation remains an unsolved mystery for most organizations and many executives.

Innovation has been a key part of the American popular consciousness since Thomas Edison started applying the principles of mass production to the processes of invention. Innovation has been around for a long, long time -- yet innovation remains an unsolved mystery for most organizations and many executives.

Backsourcing -- that's what we'll examine here in this Executive Update, the third in a four-part series on the "New Outsourcing." 1 Backsourcing is the general term used to describe the "repatriation" of IT or other outsourced services. The term first gained prominence about five years ago with two much-publicized failures. Frequently quoted is the decision by Sears to back out of its megadeal in 2005, a year after it had signed.

Backsourcing -- that's what we'll examine here in this Executive Update, the third in a four-part series on the "New Outsourcing." 1 Backsourcing is the general term used to describe the "repatriation" of IT or other outsourced services. The term first gained prominence about five years ago with two much-publicized failures. Frequently quoted is the decision by Sears to back out of its megadeal in 2005, a year after it had signed.

Organizations are increasingly coming to recognize the contribution that an effective business analysis function can make to their operations. In a global environment that seems to be in a constant state of fast-moving change, business analysts have the potential to assess environmental issues and develop effective responses.

Risk management is a formal process owned by senior executives responsible for keeping everyone safe and sound day and night. They report to internal and external audit committees or, actually, prefer to avoid any and all interaction with audit folks since even a casual discussion with auditors can result in a boatload of work for entire teams of already overworked professionals. So the game is simple.

Risk management is a formal process owned by senior executives responsible for keeping everyone safe and sound day and night. They report to internal and external audit committees or, actually, prefer to avoid any and all interaction with audit folks since even a casual discussion with auditors can result in a boatload of work for entire teams of already overworked professionals. So the game is simple.

Dear Colleague,

This week, we're taking a look back at five of the most intriguing articles published in Cutter's Enterprise Risk Management & Governance practice over this past year. As you might imagine, it was no small task to cull the list and pare it down to just five articles.