Making IT work

Collaborative development environments will be the next "killer app" in software development. They'll make use of wikis, instant messaging, forums and online presence. But don't just barrel into it without thinking through the options

At Microsoft's CEO Summit this May, Bill Gates took a few moments to talk about time management. He noted that, somehow, his calendar seemed to be filled with commitments that - upon reflection - only seemed like a good idea at the time. In retrospect, he had been foolish to make them

After a working lunch at a workshop, a senior IT manager at a global telecommunications company approached me with a problem. Over the course of several mergers, acquisitions and reorgs, his firm now had three work-order processing systems.

How many times have you heard that IT needs to be aligned with business? If there was a mantra of the past decade, surely this was it. And who can argue with the concept that IT and business need to be in alignment to ensure that IT investments pay off in the form of tangible business benefits?

Collaborate or compete? That's a core strategic question for organizations seeking margins and market share. When are they better off energetically competing against their rivals? When are they wisest to collaborate and cooperate? That strategic question is even more important for the internal IT marketplace. CIOs have to determine what will better drive desirable results: more collaboration within their IT shops or encouraging smarter competition. The "correct" answer, of course, is "both". Good luck

Innovation demands discipline as much as it requires freedom

Are employees compromising security by bringing consumer tech into the enterprise? Perhaps, but if you use too heavy a hand to stop them, you'll be fighting a losing battle

When form substitutes for substance, you have an IT leadership problem

If perception helps define reality, then asking your customers how they perceive IT innovation is a simple and inexpensive way to focus your efforts

With boards of directors under increased scrutiny by regulators and other entities, CIOs should consider creating a digital dashboard that gives them a view into the key performance indicators of the business

As top investment banks have discovered, giving away software tools to key customers and suppliers can save both of you lots of time and money

When a committee is charged with achieving unanimity, the force of its decisions is multiplied

CIOs should be treating success with an application as an invitation to see what else the software can do for their business

Outsourcing your code development makes a lot less sense with the radical changes in the way innovators now create software