The first principle of agile software development states, "Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software." Since 2001 when that principle was first established, its meaning has been revised by some in the agile community to mean that projects should deliver business value. That's a laudable goal, and one I personally believe in. Furthermore, I believe that the success of a project should be based on business value delivered. But in order to gauge success, you have to be able to quantify the measure.

It used to be that the Internet was a one-way street. Sites sent information to you at the desktop but you didn't send any back because there was little reason to, unless it was an e-mail to complain. Today's Internet is a more collaborative, interactive enterprise. Social networking sites, Google, eBay, and MySpace establish a kind of partnership in which the user provides content as much as consumes it. Hiding in this evolving collaborative Web are the seeds of a new generation of information security risks.

It used to be that the Internet was a one-way street. Sites sent information to you at the desktop but you didn't send any back because there was little reason to, unless it was an e-mail to complain. Today's Internet is a more collaborative, interactive enterprise. Social networking sites, Google, eBay, and MySpace establish a kind of partnership in which the user provides content as much as consumes it. Hiding in this evolving collaborative Web are the seeds of a new generation of information security risks.

It used to be that the Internet was a one-way street. Sites sent information to you at the desktop but you didn't send any back because there was little reason to, unless it was an e-mail to complain. Today's Internet is a more collaborative, interactive enterprise. Social networking sites, Google, eBay, and MySpace establish a kind of partnership in which the user provides content as much as consumes it. Hiding in this evolving collaborative Web are the seeds of a new generation of information security risks.

One of the challenges we perpetually face is how to explain the value of a more deliberate, enterprise-wide, and architectural approach to IT.

Over the past few years, I have noticed a trend of streamlining IT spending. In general, it all depends on the implications that IT may have in achieving the strategic business goals of a company. However, as service-oriented architecture (SOA) becomes a popular buzzword, IT practitioners are forced to recognize the significance of the role business organizations play in their world.

As organizations continue to build IT project management competencies, they have begun to realize the need for a cadre of global IT managers who can manage offshore and outsourced IT projects. A global IT manager needs the following key traits:1

As organizations continue to build IT project management competencies, they have begun to realize the need for a cadre of global IT managers who can manage offshore and outsourced IT projects. A global IT manager needs the following key traits:1

It's happened again: a critical project has gone off track and needs to be turned around before business results are affected and careers, including yours, are wrecked. You know you need to act quickly to prevent failure, but what, exactly should you do? After all, before the project "went red," it was sincerely believed that effective action was already being taken. So what, exactly, should the project team do differently now?

It's happened again: a critical project has gone off track and needs to be turned around before business results are affected and careers, including yours, are wrecked. You know you need to act quickly to prevent failure, but what, exactly should you do? After all, before the project "went red," it was sincerely believed that effective action was already being taken. So what, exactly, should the project team do differently now?

In this Advisor, I'll address the million-dollar question: how do you get a team to develop a clear and elevating goal?

Although companies continue to express considerable interest in using neural networks and other advanced statistical modeling techniques for data mining and other BI applications, most organizations' BI and analytic practices rely primarily on standard reporting and multidimensional (OLAP) analysis methods.

So where does the distinction between corporate and consumer technology begin and end? Here's a clue: it doesn't. If I had asked the same question in the 1980s, it would have been considered stupid, since there was absolutely no relationship between corporate and consumer technology. But now everything is different and there is absolutely no difference between the two.

So where does the distinction between corporate and consumer technology begin and end? Here's a clue: it doesn't. If I had asked the same question in the 1980s, it would have been considered stupid, since there was absolutely no relationship between corporate and consumer technology. But now everything is different and there is absolutely no difference between the two.

A couple of years ago, someone asked me about the history of the agile software movement and about the historical influences on my approach to agile. This Advisor is my update of my response to that inquiry.

As I wrote last week (see "New Changes in Governance and Compliance, Part 1," 31 May 2007), the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) have approved changes to SOX Section 404 to try to help alleviate the costs of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, which is still about 30 times more

As I wrote last week (see "New Changes in Governance and Compliance, Part 1," 31 May 2007), the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) have approved changes to SOX Section 404 to try to help alleviate the costs of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, which is still about 30 times more

As I wrote last week (see "New Changes in Governance and Compliance, Part 1," 31 May 2007), the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) have approved changes to SOX Section 404 to try to help alleviate the costs of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, which is still about 30 times more

Enterprise architecture is hard, no doubt. Anyone who has undertaken an EA effort can share stories of the many challenges they've faced.

Certainly, a familiar challenge is lack of buy-in. This may be encountered within the business and/or IT communities as disinterest, apathy, or even outright resistance. Why does this happen?

This series of Advisors is targeted at readers whose organizations have a reasonably successful project management office (PMO) in place and are looking for ways to enhance the value they receive from their project office; i.e., to answer the question, "where do we go from here?" Last month (see "Winning Project Office Tec

One dimension of sourcing not often discussed is control. How much of it across all business activities have organizations exerted historically and how much of it are they willing to cede to ensure sourcing success? Companies willing to explore their control quotient will gain a self-awareness of their temperment for sourcing. This is a constructive first step in executing an ambitious sourcing program.

One dimension of sourcing not often discussed is control. How much of it across all business activities have organizations exerted historically and how much of it are they willing to cede to ensure sourcing success? Companies willing to explore their control quotient will gain a self-awareness of their temperment for sourcing. This is a constructive first step in executing an ambitious sourcing program.

Innovation: Introduction of new things or methods

Invention: A creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation

Intuition: The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes

Innovation: Introduction of new things or methods

Invention: A creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation

Intuition: The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes

The Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Sloan School of Management conducted a survey of 456 enterprises between 1995 and 2006, which identified four stages of enterprise architecture (EA) maturity as follows:

Stage 1: Business silos