Q. Tell me about an interesting consulting engagement you were involved in.

In this interview, Michael Mah addresses the importance of negotiation skills for today's IT manager. He touched upon this point in his Executive Report, " The Making of the Agile IT Executive."

Q: How did you get into the field of negotiation?

I've been writing on objects, components, and distributed component systems for a decade. In the course of that decade, I've watched objects evolve from a commercially new technology to the established way of developing software.

Often the executive board arrives at the conclusion that offshoring will result in improved quality or reduced costs -- or even both -- and mandates that the development of a system take place elsewhere. Yet project managers and technical staff of offshoring projects do not receive management support when it comes to making the project a success.

Often the executive board arrives at the conclusion that offshoring will result in improved quality or reduced costs -- or even both -- and mandates that the development of a system take place elsewhere. Yet project managers and technical staff of offshoring projects do not receive management support when it comes to making the project a success.

Most formal system development methodologies are focused on successful development and implementation of IT systems. Very few, if any, address the issue of how to discontinue failing or failed IT projects! It is almost as if the IT community considers it sacrilegious to acknowledge, let alone terminate, a failed or failing project.

Most formal system development methodologies are focused on successful development and implementation of IT systems. Very few, if any, address the issue of how to discontinue failing or failed IT projects! It is almost as if the IT community considers it sacrilegious to acknowledge, let alone terminate, a failed or failing project.

As 2004 winds down, I want to comment one more time on a trend that I predict will grow in the year ahead and throughout the rest of this decade. I expect that large companies will become better at dividing business processes into two groups and maintaining those that are really vital while outsourcing those that are essentially "commodity processes."