Digital transformation initiatives can decrease the pressure from demanding customers and more capable competitors Digital transformation invites organizations to go beyond routine use of the web, email, smartphone apps and the in-place portfolio of IT systems. Currently, even while actively using these information technologies, many organizations still: Rely heavily on various paper-based, manual processes. Function…
When is it appropriate and when will it be counter-productive? Many organizations have reaped significant or huge benefits from offshoring parts of their IT function. This offshoring success creates the question of when offshoring is appropriate and when it will be disappointing or even counter-productive. IT functions suitable for offshoring Successful IT offshoring examples include:…
While reducing cost, risk, and elapsed time Organizations migrate their custom applications to cloud-based information technology services in pursuit of the following benefits: Near-instant scalability to meet underestimated workloads. Added application functionality. Reduced time to market for a new product or service that is often dependent on achieving the production status of a supporting application.…
Promises to improve products and services, reduce errors, and deliver more fun The advent of 5G mobile communication generates a lot of excitement about snazzy new smartphones and new and improved telco services. Improved communication has always required increased network capacity since the beginning of time. One example is the replacement of the Pony Express…
Informal systems cover gaps in the application portfolio of most organizations’ formal systems The world is awash with informal systems. The myriad of small informal systems delivers enormous value to almost every organization known to man. Informal systems are typically based on software tools such as Apple iWork, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Informal systems…
Project Manager vs Gantt Chart Jockey (Part 1) Much has been written about the essential contribution reasonable project management makes to IT project success. Sadly, the reverse is also true. Absent, incompetent, or insufficient project management invariably contributes to project failure. How can an executive who needs their IT project to succeed and is likely…
And how to counteract them
Human frailties are becoming a more significant cause of information technology project failure. Technology factors, on the other hand, are fading as a cause of project failure as information technology continues to increase in capability and decline in cost. The behaviour of project team members, be they project managers, business analysts or software developers, influence…
The growth of shadow IT is often driven by impatient end-users
We’ve all observed massive growth in shadow Information Technology (IT). What’s driving this growth? As a reminder, shadow IT is hardware or software within an enterprise that is not supported by the organization’s central IS department. The growth in shadow IT is driven by many information technology developments and the emergence of new IT services.…
Employees with concrete goals improve their performance by 18 per cent in output
For many years my company floated along without concrete goals, and then one day I came across a sign that said, “Double your Sales.” I posted it above the door in the office that was used by all the staff. I did not actually think much about it, but every day I would see the…
Can you really justify the added costs and headaches?
Organizations face the buy vs. build decision for software frequently. The breadth and depth of software packages available to license or use via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) are astonishing. Software is readily available for every sector of our economy and every business function. The number of websites that list software packages is so large that I’m…