Managing Information Technology For Business Value

Annotation A call for IT and business managers to reformulate the way they manage IT, this book contends that if IT is to deliver business value, it should be measured in core business terms such as customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and profitability. Leading academic research and industry best practices are synthesized, and principles and strategies are presented for managing for optimum IT business value, the IT budget, and the IT organization's capability. In a time when IT spending is reduced and IT organizations are often perceived as cost centers, a necessary and timely counterbalance is provided, and the argument is made that IT investments can and should be linked directly to enterprise business indicators. Also discussed is how IT spending should improve corporate profitability and how the relationship between IT initiatives and business indicators should be explicit and empirical.

Measuring the Business Value of Information Technology deals with computers/software.

Praise for IT Portfolio Management Step-by-Step "Bryan Maizlish and Robert Handler bring their deep experience in IT 'value realization' to one of the most absent of all IT management practices--portfolio management. They capture the essence of universally proven investment practices and apply them to the most difficult of challenges--returning high strategic and dollar payoffs from an enterprise's IT department. The reader will find many new and rewarding insights to making their IT investments finally return market leading results." --John C. Reece, Chairman and CEO, John C. Reece & Associates, LLC Former deputy commissioner for modernization and CIO of the IRS "IT Portfolio Management describes in great detail the critical aspects, know-how, practical examples, key insights, and best practices to improve operational efficiency, corporate agility, and business competitiveness. It eloquently illustrates the methods of building and integrating a portfolio of IT investments to ensure the realization of maximum value and benefit, and to fully leverage the value of all IT assets. Whether you are getting started or building on your initial success in IT portfolio management, this book will provide you information on how to build and implement an effective IT portfolio management strategy." --David Mitchell, President and CEO, webMethods, Inc. "I found IT Portfolio Management very easy to read, and it highlights many of the seminal aspects and best practices from financial portfolio management. It is an important book for executive, business, and IT managers." --Michael J. Montgomery, President, Montgomery & Co. "IT Portfolio Management details a comprehensive framework and process showing how to align business and IT for superior value. Maizlish and Handler have the depth of experience, knowledge, and insight needed to tackle the challenges and opportunities companies face in optimizing their IT investment portfolios. This is an exceptionally important book for executive leadership and IT business managers, especially those wanting to build a process-managed enterprise." --Peter Fingar, Executive Partner Greystone Group, coauthor of The Real-Time Enterprise and Business Process Management (BPM): The Third Wave "A must-read for the non-IT manager who needs to understand the complexity and challenges of managing an IT portfolio. The portfolio management techniques, analysis tools, and planning can be applied to any project or function." --Richard "Max" Maksimoski, Senior Director R&D, The Scotts Company "This book provides an excellent framework and real-world based approach for implementing IT portfolio management. It is a must-read for every CIO staff considering how to strategically and operationally impact their company's bottom line." --Donavan R. Hardenbrook, New Product Development Professional, Intel Corporation

"This business guide presents theoretical and empirical research on the business value of information technology (IT) and introduces strategic opportunities for using IT management to increase organizational performance. Implementation management is addressed with attention to customer relationship outsourcing, decision support systems, and information systems strategic planning. Domestic, international, and multinational business contexts are covered."

Describes the principles and methodologies for crafting and executing a successful business-aligned IT strategy to provide businesses with value delivery.

The book addresses the practical needs of executives responsible for planning, budgeting & justifying information technology expenditures. Written by the former chief information executive (1956-1978) & vice president of strategic planning (1978-1985), author of the widely acclaimed & translated INFORMATION PAYOFF - THE TRANSFORMATION OF WORK IN THE ELECTRONIC AGE (Free Press, 1985), lecturer & university professor. Reviews: "A New Bible for Management Information Systems. An eminently readable book made more so by a playful sense of humor" -Information Week-; "Strips away obfuscation that has concealed the real value of computers." (The Financial Post); "A true path to the Holy Grail of business value." (Computer Weekly); "Some surprising answers to familiar questions cast new light on investing profitably in computer hardware & software." (The Conference Board); "All those either transfixed or baffled by the powers & potential of computers would do well to heed Strassmann's advice." (Daily Telegraph); "Measuring managerial productivity is the key to knowing how to invest in information technology. Strassmann's new book sets out the results of his research in detail. His argument comes through clearly." (The Financial Times).

Do you really understand what business value is? Information technology can and should deliver business value. But the Agile literature has paid scant attention to what business value means—and how to know whether or not you are delivering it. This problem becomes ever more critical as you push value delivery toward autonomous teams and away from requirements “tossed over the wall” by business stakeholders. An empowered team needs to understand its goal! Playful and thought-provoking, The Art of Business Value explores what business value means, why it matters, and how it should affect your software development and delivery practices. More than any other IT delivery approach, DevOps (and Agile thinking in general) makes business value a central concern. This book examines the role of business value in software and makes a compelling case for why a clear understanding of business value will change the way you deliver software. This book will make you think deeply about not only what it means to deliver value but also the relationship of the IT organization to the rest of the enterprise. It will give you the language to discuss value with the business, methods to cut through bureaucracy, and strategies for incorporating Agile teams and culture into the enterprise. Most of all, this book will startle you into new ways of thinking about the cutting-edge of Agile practice and where it may lead.