To be effective, businesses of all sizes need to understand their own performance. While large, established organizations will typically have a solid infrastructure and a constant finger on their pulse, smaller, growing companies often struggle with fundamental issues. This is highly prevalent in technology organizations, where an entrepreneur with the Next Great Idea suddenly finds that organizational issues are consuming more and more of his or her precious time.

There is a simple illusion shown in Figure 1. When asked which of the two lines is longer, many people choose line A, while some who have seen a similar example before will say that both lines are the same length. Actually, line B is longer. When I showed this figure to a class several years ago, one student remarked that surely I must have meant to say that line A is longer. I invited the student to measure the lines, to which he responded, "But that would be pointless when the result is so clear."

The ability to use and have command of metrics are essential skills for the agile IT executive. In this issue of CBR , Cutter Consortium Senior Consultant Michael Mah provides a look at the emerging discipline of metrics and benchmarking and then frames the discussion in terms of using reliable information to make high-stakes decisions.

Jim Brosseau follows with a piece that highlights the dangers of using externally generated benchmark data and offers advice for balancing it with internally gathered data.

No business function is unaffected by IT. Because of its strategic and operational significance, the handing off of all IT matters -- including direction setting, investment decisions, and project management -- to a single IT department is no longer a viable option. Business managers must participate in using and managing the IT resource to advance the business.

No business function is unaffected by IT. Because of its strategic and operational significance, the handing off of all IT matters -- including direction setting, investment decisions, and project management -- to a single IT department is no longer a viable option. Business managers must participate in using and managing the IT resource to advance the business.

No business function is unaffected by IT. Because of its strategic and operational significance, the handing off of all IT matters -- including direction setting, investment decisions, and project management -- to a single IT department is no longer a viable option. Business managers must participate in using and managing the IT resource to advance the business.

No business function is unaffected by IT. Because of its strategic and operational significance, the handing off of all IT matters -- including direction setting, investment decisions, and project management -- to a single IT department is no longer a viable option. Business managers must participate in using and managing the IT resource to advance the business.

It's been almost five years since Web services were first introduced, and it's probably a good time to check in on how they're doing and where they're going.

It's been almost five years since Web services were first introduced, and it's probably a good time to check in on how they're doing and where they're going.

Recently, I talked with several senior IT executives who, in different ways, asked about the purpose of enterprise architecture (EA). Now, "What's EA's purpose?" is a good question because it asks what the value of EA is and how that value can be measured.

Recently, I talked with several senior IT executives who, in different ways, asked about the purpose of enterprise architecture (EA). Now, "What's EA's purpose?" is a good question because it asks what the value of EA is and how that value can be measured.

Recently, I talked with several senior IT executives who, in different ways, asked about the purpose of enterprise architecture (EA). Now, "What's EA's purpose?" is a good question because it asks what the value of EA is and how that value can be measured.