A company's supply chain consists of the processes and supporting systems that combine to bring a product or service to market (see Figure 1).

A company's supply chain consists of the processes and supporting systems that combine to bring a product or service to market (see Figure 1).

Ascential Software is the new name for Informix Business Solutions. In September 2000, Informix split into two companies: Informix Corporation and Informix Business Solutions. In January 2001, Informix Business Solutions became a software company independent of Informix and was renamed Ascential Software.

Manufacturing companies are now applying data warehousing and business intelligence (BI) techniques to their supply chain operations. The first article in this issue examines this new field, called supply chain intelligence (SCI), which holds great promise for optimizing supply chain operations. SCI involves more than just performing analysis on an ad hoc basis.

©2001 Clarity Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved.

©2001 Clarity Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved.

©2001 by ArcStream Solutions. All rights reserved.

In the last several years, the telecommunications trade and business press have been bombarding executives with rosy projections about the world of wireless data and the mobile Internet applications they can look forward to when 3G (third-generation wireless, which is broadband digital) arrives.

In the last several years, the telecommunications trade and business press have been bombarding executives with rosy projections about the world of wireless data and the mobile Internet applications they can look forward to when 3G (third-generation wireless, which is broadband digital) arrives.

©2001 by Brian C. Newman. All rights reserved.

©2001 by Brian C. Newman. All rights reserved.

The wireless Web represents the convergence of two technologies -- the Web, which has radically changed how we do business, interact, and entertain ourselves in cyberspace, and wireless technology, which through the cell phone has added a mobile dimension to e-commerce and enterprise computing.

The wireless Web represents the convergence of two technologies -- the Web, which has radically changed how we do business, interact, and entertain ourselves in cyberspace, and wireless technology, which through the cell phone has added a mobile dimension to e-commerce and enterprise computing.

Let's go back in time to the mid-1980s when the US Department of Defense (DoD) was faced with huge cost and schedule overruns on its large, software-intensive programs. The Internet had not yet materialized, and the software industry was beset with a steady stream of "silver bullets" (e.g., structured programming, reuse, rapid prototyping, total quality management, reengineering) designed to solve the industry's increasing problems with software development (missed schedules, cost overruns, poor quality).

Project management is arguably the single greatest challenge facing e-projects today.

The 22 February e-Project Management E-Mail Advisorsparked a lively debate between the author, Jim Highsmith, and Karl Wiegers, well-known author and frequent contributor to the Cutter IT Journal. This Executive Update contains the original advisor, the debate between Highsmith and Wiegers, and an interesting comment from Cutter Consortium Senior Consultant Chris Pickering.

In 1990, the US spent US $9 billion on IT outsourcing. In 1999, US customers spent $250 billion on IT outsourcing. Dun & Bradstreet predicted worldwide IT outsourcing costs would have reached $1 trillion by the end of 2000. Such spending clearly indicates that IT outsourcing has become an accepted practice worldwide.

In 1990, the US spent US $9 billion on IT outsourcing. In 1999, US customers spent $250 billion on IT outsourcing. Dun & Bradstreet predicted worldwide IT outsourcing costs would have reached $1 trillion by the end of 2000. Such spending clearly indicates that IT outsourcing has become an accepted practice worldwide.

With nearly US $1 trillion being spent each year on IT worldwide, the question is no longer whether to outsource, but how to harness IT supplier capabilities, ensure contracts go well, and remain flexible in case relationships go awry. In short, executives want to better manage IT suppliers.

With nearly US $1 trillion being spent each year on IT worldwide, the question is no longer whether to outsource, but how to harness IT supplier capabilities, ensure contracts go well, and remain flexible in case relationships go awry. In short, executives want to better manage IT suppliers.

This Executive Update contains the second part of our series containing advice from a panel of Cutter Consortium Senior Consultants -- Mike Epner, Ian Hayes, David Herron, and Wendell Jones -- on the outsourcing process.