What does the data mean?

"When you make the finding yourself -- even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light -- you'll never forget it."

-- Carl Sagan

A couple of years ago, your boss asked you to lead a software process improvement (SPI) initiative to reduce cycle time and improve quality while still meeting customer commitments to cost and functionality. After you updated your résumé and pondered the impossibility of the mandate, you decided to step up to the challenge (at least until your income tax refund arrived).

Trying to achieve effective business-IT alignment is inherently a risky activity. It implies the undertaking of important decisions, under conditions of uncertainty. Typically, alignment decisions have long-term impacts, they are difficult to undo, and we are never sure whether they will produce the desired outcome. This scenario of uncertainty applies whether we're deciding on a radical change to our IT infrastructure or on a gradual change to our business processes.

Those who know something of my career in computing know that I started as a technology analyst covering the artificial intelligence (AI) market in the early 1980s. More specifically, I wrote Cutter Information Corp.'s Expert Systems Strategies newsletter for almost 10 years.

There's an amazingly overlooked iceberg of problems in end-user computing. Spreadsheets are developed by people who are very skilled in their main job function, be it finance, procurement, or production planning, but often have had no formal training in spreadsheet use. IT auditors focus on mainstream information systems but regard spreadsheets as user problems, outside their concerns.

There's an amazingly overlooked iceberg of problems in end-user computing. Spreadsheets are developed by people who are very skilled in their main job function, be it finance, procurement, or production planning, but often have had no formal training in spreadsheet use. IT auditors focus on mainstream information systems but regard spreadsheets as user problems, outside their concerns.

Those who know something of my career in computing know that I started as a technology analyst covering the artificial intelligence (AI) market in the early 198

Those who know something of my career in computing know that I started as a technology analyst covering the artificial intelligence (AI) market in the early 198

There's an amazingly overlooked iceberg of problems in end-user computing.

There's an amazingly overlooked iceberg of problems in end-user computing.

"Process improvement challenges -- the process cannot be continuously improved if:

What does the data mean?

In the past few years, we have been exposed to several dozen definitions of knowledge, usually as a first step in presenting yet another definition of knowledge management. Our intention here is (alas) exactly the same, although in this Executive Report we focus on the human cognition end of the spectrum of definitions.

In the past few years, we have been exposed to several dozen definitions of knowledge, usually as a first step in presenting yet another definition of knowledge management. Our intention here is (alas) exactly the same, although in this Executive Report we focus on the human cognition end of the spectrum of definitions.

"The most important economic development of our lifetime has been the rise of a new system for creating wealth, based no longer on muscle but on mind." --

Alvin Toffler

"The most important economic development of our lifetime has been the rise of a new system for creating wealth, based no longer on muscle but on mind." --

Alvin Toffler

Cutter Consortium recently launched a new business-IT strategies survey (if you haven't had a chance to participate, please go to www.cutter.com/consortium/index_surveys.html and complete the online questionnaire). This survey will be kept open as long as it produces valuable data.

With the Internet changing how companies interact at every level, establishing an e-business consortium, or e-consortium, is a growing priority for numerous industries. The goal of an e-consortium can vary, but it typically revolves around a group of companies in a given industry that wish to collectively leverage the Internet to improve some aspect of their business.

Paul Harmon, Editor

The vision of distributed computing has been an attractive one for the computing industry for many years. The original goal was to build computer systems that reflected the distributed nature of real organizations. This was made possible by the advent of relatively low-cost minicomputers that could be located in field offices and warehouses alongside their users.

The vision of distributed computing has been an attractive one for the computing industry for many years. The original goal was to build computer systems that reflected the distributed nature of real organizations -- low-cost computers that could be located in field offices and warehouses alongside their users, with improved productivity and reduced costs.