Strategic IS alignment refers to alignment between business and IS strategies, but the IS strategy is sometimes viewed in a narrow fashion, including only the role of the IS function (i.e., what does it aim to do?). I recommend a broader view of alignment, incorporating not simply the role of the IS function, but also the structure of the IS function (i.e., how IS activities are organized within the organization) and the sourcing of the IS function (i.e., which IS activities should be performed within the organization).

Strategic IS alignment refers to alignment between business and IS strategies, but the IS strategy is sometimes viewed in a narrow fashion, including only the role of the IS function (i.e., what does it aim to do?). I recommend a broader view of alignment, incorporating not simply the role of the IS function, but also the structure of the IS function (i.e., how IS activities are organized within the organization) and the sourcing of the IS function (i.e., which IS activities should be performed within the organization).

In my last two Advisors in this series (please see the sidebar) "Doing SOA Right Today, Part 1: Making Sure We''re on the Right Track" 27 September 2006 and "Doing SOA Right Today, Part 2: Resolving the Initiative Planning Challenges," 18 October 2006)

collaboration = innovation

To work collaboratively, we need to release these inhibitions to innovation:

collaboration = innovation

To work collaboratively, we need to release these inhibitions to innovation:

In my previous Advisor in this series ("Getting the Business and IT Aligned, Part 1: Myths, Mysteries, and Realities," November 29, 2006), I shared a number of myths, mysteries, and realities for business-IT alignment in the fields of enterprise integration and business process transformation. I believe that business-IT alignment initiatives are not "one off" initiatives that happen in isolation, detached from other enterprise-level initiatives.

There seems to be a bit of confusion within the agile community about the concept of self-organization. To some it seems to be a euphemism for anarchy and an excuse to rail against management in general and project management in particular. I think this "anti-management" faction helps critics relegate agile to a "small-project, fringe" movement, which is unfortunate. Self-organizing isn't about anarchy or lack of leadership, it's about empowerment (or in the old school, delegation) and style of leadership.

BI leader Business Objects has bought software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform and on-demand CRM applications provider Nsite, Inc., for an undisclosed amount. Nsite offers a Web services platform and a set of on-demand CRM applications targeted at small and mid-size organizations seeking to add sales process automation to their CRM systems.

BI leader Business Objects has bought software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform and on-demand CRM applications provider Nsite, Inc., for an undisclosed amount. Nsite offers a Web services platform and a set of on-demand CRM applications targeted at small and mid-size organizations seeking to add sales process automation to their CRM systems.

Mad cow disease, bird flu, airplane accidents, E. coli outbreaks, and shark attacks. I don't often get the chance to read Time magazine, but a cover story entitled, "Things That We Often Worry About (But Really Shouldn't)" caught my eye this week at an airport magazine stand. I was on my way to brief a CEO and his board of directors, and a topic for discussion was the things that people worry about when outsourcing.

Mad cow disease, bird flu, airplane accidents, E. coli outbreaks, and shark attacks. I don't often get the chance to read Time magazine, but a cover story entitled, "Things That We Often Worry About (But Really Shouldn't)" caught my eye this week at an airport magazine stand. I was on my way to brief a CEO and his board of directors, and a topic for discussion was the things that people worry about when outsourcing.

Mad cow disease, bird flu, airplane accidents, E. coli outbreaks, and shark attacks. I don't often get the chance to read Time magazine, but a cover story entitled, "Things That We Often Worry About (But Really Shouldn't)" caught my eye this week at an airport magazine stand. I was on my way to brief a CEO and his board of directors, and a topic for discussion was the things that people worry about when outsourcing.

Mad cow disease, bird flu, airplane accidents, E. coli outbreaks, and shark attacks. I don't often get the chance to read Time magazine, but a cover story entitled, "Things That We Often Worry About (But Really Shouldn't)" caught my eye this week at an airport magazine stand. I was on my way to brief a CEO and his board of directors, and a topic for discussion was the things that people worry about when outsourcing.

In this on-demand webinar, Ken Collier imagines what would happen if we raised our children like we build BI systems ... We would keep them in highly controlled and protected environments, away from others until they are mature and fully developed. Then we would release them into the world to see if they can function effectively.

In recent years, application developers have pioneered techniques that enable them to work in an evolutionary (iterative and incremental) manner, and now we're going one step further with agile methods that are also highly collaborative. Unfortunately, many data professionals are still mired in the traditional, serial approaches of the late 1970s and 1980s. As a result, they're discovering that they need to play catch-up if they're to remain relevant within the new environment.

"What did you know, and when did you know it?"

That query was the signature phrase from the Watergate hearings some 30 years ago in the US, which was looking into illegal activities conducted by the Nixon Whitehouse. It was resurrected during the recent HP boardroom leak flap about who knew what when regarding HP investigators illegally pre-texting corporate board members' and reporters' identities to uncover personal information about them.

"What did you know, and when did you know it?"

That query was the signature phrase from the Watergate hearings some 30 years ago in the US, which was looking into illegal activities conducted by the Nixon Whitehouse. It was resurrected during the recent HP boardroom leak flap about who knew what when regarding HP investigators illegally pre-texting corporate board members' and reporters' identities to uncover personal information about them.

"What did you know, and when did you know it?"

That query was the signature phrase from the Watergate hearings some 30 years ago in the US, which was looking into illegal activities conducted by the Nixon Whitehouse. It was resurrected during the recent HP boardroom leak flap about who knew what when regarding HP investigators illegally pre-texting corporate board members' and reporters' identities to uncover personal information about them.

In this on-demand webinar, Ken Collier imagines what would happen if we raised our children like we build BI systems ... We would keep them in highly controlled and protected environments, away from others until they are mature and fully developed. Then we would release them into the world to see if they can function effectively.

Choosing the right offshore outsourcing vendor is certainly as much art as science, since the decision can turn on a number of quantitative as well as qualitative criteria. The first step in building a vendor selection framework must begin with an understanding of the overall nature of the relationship. Once this is established, a number of specific criteria emerge that can guide the selecting organization.

Choosing the right offshore outsourcing vendor is certainly as much art as science, since the decision can turn on a number of quantitative as well as qualitative criteria. The first step in building a vendor selection framework must begin with an understanding of the overall nature of the relationship. Once this is established, a number of specific criteria emerge that can guide the selecting organization.

Enterprise architecture (EA) has always been one of many terms with overloaded meaning. To some of us, EA is about "organizing multiple applications in an enterprise into a coherent whole" [1]. This view points out the difference between architecting an individual application versus architecting a collection of applications that support a business unit or an entire organization. It is not unlike comparing architecting a single building to working on an entire city plan.

The only eternal truths are death, taxes, and change. Companies should know this. They experience change often. Ask Kodak, as it dies ever so slowly due to the profound change in technology that is influencing consumer preferences in the photography universe.

The only eternal truths are death, taxes, and change. Companies should know this. They experience change often. Ask Kodak, as it dies ever so slowly due to the profound change in technology that is influencing consumer preferences in the photography universe.

Back in 2002, when I wrote the Executive Report "Transitioning Business Application Components to Web Services" for Cutter Consortium's Enterprise Architecture advisory service, I described service-oriented architecture (SOA) as a next big thing. Little did I know then, like many other practitioners, that we would experience such an industry-wide push to use SOA today. I can report today that SOA is here and it is here to stay.