Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) -- and even divestitures -- represent opportunities to reengineer technology acquisition, deployment, and support. Like other major corporate events (such as missing earnings estimates five quarters in a row), M&As can be exploited to make decisions that somehow get endlessly tabled in the routine ebb and flow of many companies.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) -- and even divestitures -- represent opportunities to reengineer technology acquisition, deployment, and support. Like other major corporate events (such as missing earnings estimates five quarters in a row), M&As can be exploited to make decisions that somehow get endlessly tabled in the routine ebb and flow of many companies.

In the first Executive Update of this two-part series, we discussed the challenges with existing size measures used to estimate the effort required to implement an enterprise solution product, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP). 1 Inaccurate effort estimation is often cited as one of the key reasons for time and cost overruns on such projects, but in the past, there has not been any standard framework to use to estimate the si

Despite the reality of service-oriented business -- as evidenced by partnering, collaboration, outsourcing, core competency focus, and the like -- many software solution projects aimed at solving business problems do not yet use service-oriented architecture (SOA) as a key enabler. I hear a variety of reasons from project managers for this, including the following:

In the first two parts of this Executive Update series on Cutter's annual survey of innovation practices, we described the enterprise innovation chain (value innovation, management innovation, business model innovation, and invention) and identified key findings of the research. 1 Here in Part III, we present additional detailed characteristics of organizations that assess themselves as successful innovators, efficiently managing their innovation processes.

In the first two parts of this Executive Update series on Cutter's annual survey of innovation practices, we described the enterprise innovation chain (value innovation, management innovation, business model innovation, and invention) and identified key findings of the research. 1 Here in Part III, we present additional detailed characteristics of organizations that assess themselves as successful innovators, efficiently managing their innovation processes.

In the first two parts of this Executive Update series on Cutter's annual survey of innovation practices, we described the enterprise innovation chain (value innovation, management innovation, business model innovation, and invention) and identified key findings of the research. 1 Here in Part III, we present additional detailed characteristics of organizations that assess themselves as successful innovators, efficiently managing their innovation processes.

Cloud computing is a prominent concept in the IT technology world. Cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) promise fast return on investment, agility, improved scalability, availability, and more.

Cloud computing is a prominent concept in the IT technology world. Cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) promise fast return on investment, agility, improved scalability, availability, and more.

Part I of this two-part Executive Update series took you through the core competencies of the first phase of the outsourcing lifecycle: the architect phase. 1 The architect phase is where the deal is put together in a strategic sense, cumulating in the detailed contract, the

Part I of this two-part Executive Update series took you through the core competencies of the first phase of the outsourcing lifecycle: the architect phase. 1 The architect phase is where the deal is put together in a strategic sense, cumulating in the detailed contract, the

New Year's resolutions are annoying. Most of us make them and break them almost immediately. Is it easier to make professional New Year's resolutions, or will they, like all the personal ones we make every year, fall victim to the same forces that derail our best intentions?

New Year's resolutions are annoying. Most of us make them and break them almost immediately. Is it easier to make professional New Year's resolutions, or will they, like all the personal ones we make every year, fall victim to the same forces that derail our best intentions?

Grid computing did not generate as much attention in 2008 as it did in 2007. However, our research indicates that use of grid architectures to support data warehousing and BI by end-user organizations has grown considerably. Yet despite this development, use of grids in such a capacity still remains fairly limited.

In 2002, the most common remedy for schedule problems was overtime. Now, six years later, a Cutter Consortium survey has revealed some interesting news: when projects run into scheduling problems, the two most common remedies are extending the schedule and reducing functionality, with overtime relegated to third place, followed by adding staff. This represents a distinct change from 2002, when Cutter conducted an identical survey. Cutter Consortium Senior Consultant E.M. Bennatan spearheaded both surveys.

Innovation can be orchestrated in many ways, such as by:

Using an internal process alone

Engaging customers and experts

Partnering with key suppliers

Creating a teaming arrangement with other companies including competitors

Using the new distributed cocreation approach1

Innovation can be orchestrated in many ways, such as by:

Using an internal process alone

Engaging customers and experts

Partnering with key suppliers

Creating a teaming arrangement with other companies including competitors

Using the new distributed cocreation approach1

I spent quite a bit of time studying martial arts in the past. While I wouldn't say that this made me more capable of coming out of a bar fight unscathed, the effort kept me (relatively) physically fit, introduced me to my future wife, and taught me some valuable lessons. Two lessons that translate quite nicely to the workplace are (1) the notion that you don't become agile overnight, and (2) true agility transcends such traits as flexibility.

IT is sort of caught in the middle of a debate. In one corner stands a group of researchers and enthusiasts who look at the marvels of how the human mind can make quick, accurate judgments and decisions. This group tends to look optimistically at the capabilities of the human mind to work effectively in the environment.

IT is sort of caught in the middle of a debate. In one corner stands a group of researchers and enthusiasts who look at the marvels of how the human mind can make quick, accurate judgments and decisions. This group tends to look optimistically at the capabilities of the human mind to work effectively in the environment.

Although we in the IT professions don't eat our young, we certainly do take clear concepts and make them completely vague and less than understandable -- to the point of making the concept unusable. Asset management is one of these concepts. Through the normal IT developmental processes, asset management now means almost anything we want -- ranging from project portfolio management to help desk support tools to procurement.

This is the time of year when everyone makes resolutions and projects what they'd like to see in the new year. As I thought about what CIOs could wish for, it occurred to me that they might wish for inclusion of US President Elect Barack Obama's Infrastructure Investment Program for 2009.

This is the first of a series of Executive Updates that examines the results of a recent Cutter Consortium survey on the subject of open source Java frameworks (OSJF). Here in Part I, I look at the reasons behind the recent surge in popularity of OSJF, which mostly arise from dissatisfaction with enterprise Java.

It's something of an age-old question: are IT projects, particularly those that involve significant software development, intrinsically different from other types of project? Over the years, people have argued two sides of the story. One camp says that IT projects involve tasks, resources, and processes the same as any other project. The other camp focuses on software development as a highly intellectual activity that is all about people.

Happy New Year! I wish everyone a terrific 2009 and success in all projects you undertake.