IT has taken a place next to finance and human resources as a critical and pervasive discipline in just about every enterprise and government body. Yet practices and processes for successfully directing and managing IT (i.e., governance) have proved difficult to implement and even more difficult to sustain. This has not been for lack of trying -- many of the ideas, approaches, and techniques recommended today were originally proposed 30 or more years ago.

In many organizations, IT has become crucial in the support, sustainability, and growth of the business.

In many organizations, IT has become crucial in the support, sustainability, and growth of the business.

In these demanding economic times, IT governance is no longer just desirable conduct but an essential tool at senior management's disposal to extract optimum business value from IT. Yet while IT governance may have risen on the corporate agenda, companies are still struggling with its "form and substance." How should companies approach IT governance, and where is the appropriate entry point?

In these demanding economic times, IT governance is no longer just desirable conduct but an essential tool at senior management's disposal to extract optimum business value from IT. Yet while IT governance may have risen on the corporate agenda, companies are still struggling with its "form and substance." How should companies approach IT governance, and where is the appropriate entry point?

In this Executive Report by Robert K. Wysocki, we examine the project overview statement (POS) -- the first document you create as part of the process for getting approval of a new proposed project.

The project overview statement (POS) is the first document you create as part of the process for getting approval of a new proposed project. It is a document you will forward to a senior manager to get his or her approval as well as the resources you will need to plan the project.

Crowdsourcing, as a making process, has problems because of its perceived lack of management control and the related uncertainty and risk regarding outcomes. At the same time, crowd creation1 appeals as a potential source of inexpensive innovation infusion, got from a global talent pool.

Crowdsourcing, as a making process, has problems because of its perceived lack of management control and the related uncertainty and risk regarding outcomes. At the same time, crowd creation1 appeals as a potential source of inexpensive innovation infusion, got from a global talent pool.

Crowdsourcing, as a making process, has problems because of its perceived lack of management control and the related uncertainty and risk regarding outcomes. At the same time, crowd creation1 appeals as a potential source of inexpensive innovation infusion, got from a global talent pool.

Agility is not reaching far enough into organizations. Too many agile development initiatives fall far short of their potential. Too many organizations have a few successful agile projects, but fail to sustain agility. Success on a few, or even more than a few, projects doesn't translate to wider acceptance of agile principles and practices in the organization.

"If you don't like change, you are going to like irrelevancy even less."

"If you don't like change, you are going to like irrelevancy even less."

"If you don't like change, you are going to like irrelevancy even less."

We've observed considerable interest in "IT governance" lately. For example, we've just completed a Cutter Benchmark Review (CBR) survey on the current IT governance practices around the world. We've also written several Advisors about the results and the interest we've seen in clients.

I am spending a fair amount of my time doing business process modeling (BPM) on either BPM or EA projects. BPM is becoming more and more important as organizations are increasingly committed to improving the way they do business.

Believe it or not, IBM has developed an internal, private cloud-based BI analytics environment -- called "Blue Insight" -- designed to support its overall corporate sales, marketing, and product development needs. Moreover, IBM is now marketing and producing a version of this tool.

Believe it or not, IBM has developed an internal, private cloud-based BI analytics environment -- called "Blue Insight" -- designed to support its overall corporate sales, marketing, and product development needs. Moreover, IBM is now marketing and producing a version of this tool.

Enterprise adoption of social media usually hinges on three factors: financial projections, pilot results, and politics. Financial projections are based on spreadsheet models. Pilot efforts, often called proof-of-concept efforts, study the real-life effects of the innovation. But the effort involves resource allocation, and that's where politics enters.

Enterprise adoption of social media usually hinges on three factors: financial projections, pilot results, and politics. Financial projections are based on spreadsheet models. Pilot efforts, often called proof-of-concept efforts, study the real-life effects of the innovation. But the effort involves resource allocation, and that's where politics enters.

Enterprise adoption of social media usually hinges on three factors: financial projections, pilot results, and politics. Financial projections are based on spreadsheet models. Pilot efforts, often called proof-of-concept efforts, study the real-life effects of the innovation. But the effort involves resource allocation, and that's where politics enters.

The term "agent" is used as an anthropomorphic metaphor. Such figures of speech serve a purpose in that they are beneficial for human-machine interaction and for developing high-level abstractions of information structures. The metaphor "agent" has a social origin (e.g., travel agent). It falls in line with the emergence of the Internet as a social phenomenon. The Internet houses an enormous number of autonomous individuals and entities with varying degrees of intelligence and autonomy interacting with one another.

Your IT organization has certain skills and capabilities that you deploy to solve various business technology problems. Ideally, you market these skills and capabilities to your internal clients (as well as your external stakeholders -- vendors, partners, etc.).

Your IT organization has certain skills and capabilities that you deploy to solve various business technology problems. Ideally, you market these skills and capabilities to your internal clients (as well as your external stakeholders -- vendors, partners, etc.).

Your IT organization has certain skills and capabilities that you deploy to solve various business technology problems. Ideally, you market these skills and capabilities to your internal clients (as well as your external stakeholders -- vendors, partners, etc.).