This is the first in a series of Executive Updates about how the management unit of a nonprofit organization, finding itself faced with a problematic IT function, turned adversity to its advantage over a 12-month period.

Last November, I enrolled in a training course to prepare for the The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) Version 9 examination. In this Executive Update, I would like to share my thoughts about TOGAF. 1

Computer-mediated collaboration has evolved considerably, yet the main tool we still use is e-mail, which started spreading more than 30 years ago when our needs were much simpler. Google's recent preview of its Google Wave has set the IT world abuzz, because we suddenly glimpsed a more logical (some said brilliant) way to escape the limitations of e-mail.

Computer-mediated collaboration has evolved considerably, yet the main tool we still use is e-mail, which started spreading more than 30 years ago when our needs were much simpler. Google's recent preview of its Google Wave has set the IT world abuzz, because we suddenly glimpsed a more logical (some said brilliant) way to escape the limitations of e-mail.

Whenever the topic of quality assurance (QA) over a project is brought to a conversation, testing is the first thing to come to most people's minds. QA actually goes far beyond just testing code. In any case, being test centric can become more effective from the standpoint of QA at the project level if we expand our view of testing by taking the following five considerations:

Cada vez que el tema de la calidad (QA) en un proyecto entra en una conversación, pruebas es la primera cosa que viene a la mente de la mayoría de la gente. QA en realidad va mucho más allá de las pruebas de código.

Cada vez que el tema de la calidad (QA) en un proyecto entra en una conversación, pruebas es la primera cosa que viene a la mente de la mayoría de la gente. QA en realidad va mucho más allá de las pruebas de código.

Effective governance is most critical in difficult times. When an enterprise faces stagnant or declining revenues with no clearly visible path back to growth, cutting costs is almost certainly appropriate, especially if governance was ineffective in the good times and practices got, well, sloppy. IT has no special status; it may justify a less-than-proportionate cut versus the overall enterprise -- or maybe the opposite.

Effective governance is most critical in difficult times. When an enterprise faces stagnant or declining revenues with no clearly visible path back to growth, cutting costs is almost certainly appropriate, especially if governance was ineffective in the good times and practices got, well, sloppy. IT has no special status; it may justify a less-than-proportionate cut versus the overall enterprise -- or maybe the opposite.

Life is a Bell Curve. Everything depends on which side of the top of the curve you sit.

Life is a Bell Curve. Everything depends on which side of the top of the curve you sit.

Life is a Bell Curve. Everything depends on which side of the top of the curve you sit.

With an appropriate level of collaboration, a team can be productive and efficient in delivering its goals. It can be effective in its mission -- whether the mission is to provide operational excellence, service or solution fulfillment, or decision making for strategic business and technology alignment.

Every once in awhile you come across a book that’s about one thing butreally hits home in another area (such as enterprise architecture). This time the book is The Checklist Manifesto -- How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande.

Of all the factors that determine your power as a negotiator, none is more under your control than the investment you make in becoming a more skilled negotiator. Negotiation is an area of personal competence and involves theory, practice, and skills.

Of all the factors that determine your power as a negotiator, none is more under your control than the investment you make in becoming a more skilled negotiator. Negotiation is an area of personal competence and involves theory, practice, and skills.

Data warehousing, BI, and analytics, in general, are undergoing profound changes. These are resulting from a global, just-in-time, "always-on" business environment that is redefining organizational requirements pertaining to how data is collected, processed, and used.

Over the past several years, two disruptive ideas about how firms can innovate (and subsequently create and capture value around innovations) have gained considerable momentum. The first idea is that of open innovation, which Henry Chesbrough defines as:

Over the past several years, two disruptive ideas about how firms can innovate (and subsequently create and capture value around innovations) have gained considerable momentum. The first idea is that of open innovation, which Henry Chesbrough defines as:

Innovation in high-tech industries is often driven by technology roadmaps, through cycles of technological substitutions: 1G (TACS) is substituted by 2G (GSM), which is substituted by 3G, and then 4G/WiMAX; 130 nm CMOS is substituted by 90 nm CMOS, which is substituted by 65 nm CMOS; Application 1.0 is substituted by Application 2.0, which is substituted by 3.0; and so on.

Innovation in high-tech industries is often driven by technology roadmaps, through cycles of technological substitutions: 1G (TACS) is substituted by 2G (GSM), which is substituted by 3G, and then 4G/WiMAX; 130 nm CMOS is substituted by 90 nm CMOS, which is substituted by 65 nm CMOS; Application 1.0 is substituted by Application 2.0, which is substituted by 3.0; and so on.

This is the next in a series of Advisors that attempts to answer the question "What do agile executives and managers actually do?" A previous Advisor identified a number of practices or areas of responsibility for agile leaders (see "Making Middle Managers Catalysts for Agility," 25 November 2009).

I've been spending the last few months working on a very practical business process project with an organization that is serious about improving its business processes.

I've been spending the last few months working on a very practical business process project with an organization that is serious about improving its business processes.

A meeting was held at Motorola near Chicago several years ago, and nobody came. Well, almost nobody -- one guy did turn up. It was a good meeting, and several important decisions were made. Sandeep in Bangalore, India, dialed in, and so did Pat in Cork, Ireland, and Yaron in Tel Aviv, Israel.