Hot Topics: IT Strategy

Hot Topic: IT Strategy Archived from the IT Strategist newsletter, here is gantthead's content specifically addressing the needs of C-level project management professionals. Articles IT Technologies to Watch in 2012 - by Michael Wood (January 12, 2012) What do the prevailing wisdom purveyors and pundits believe the top information technologies will be over the next 12 months? Since 2009, these predictions have been pretty volatile...can you guess what's hot and what's not for 2012? 2012 CIO Survival Guide: Where Do We Go From Here? - by Michael Wood (December 13, 2011) So much for 2011 being the year of recovery. Next year should be much like the last. Some recent developments may impact your success as a CIO. What trends are likely to impact your organization from an IT perspective? What strategies and actions will yield the best outcomes for CIOs and their companies? What CEOs Should Want in a CIO - by Michael Wood (November 8, 2011) Great CIOs are not necessarily great technologists. They don’t even need to have had hands-on experience in programming, networking or infrastructure. But what they must have is the ability to understand enough about those disciplines to know fact from fiction--and the ability to surround themselves with an appropriate team of IT subject matter experts. For many, this will sound like heresy; for others, a refreshing change from stereotypical norms. Administrator or Manager: Which One Are You? - by Michael Wood (October 18, 2011) It is clear that both roles are essential and integral to the success of a project, but often on small projects the manager and administrator role are combined. Regardless of which role you are playing in your organization, it is important to understand the distinctions and the need for both. 2011 IT Survey Recap - by Michael Wood (September 13, 2011) How have things changed in the world of CIO priorities, IT strategies, salaries, spending and such since September of 2010? Certainly the rise of the Cloud has had an impact on CIO thinking--as has the anemic and languishing global economy. Back to Basics of Disaster Recovery - by Michael Wood (August 30, 2011) Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning are no longer optional. Protecting infrastructure and information assets of an organization is one of management's primary duties. Here are some ideas and options for making sure you don't fall down on the job. IT in 2011-2012: Will You Survive--or Thrive? - by Michael Wood (August 16, 2011) It appears that although the global economic recovery has been sluggish, IT departments are bouncing back even more slowly. Why the lag? It has something to do with high expectations and low confidence. As usual, it's up to the mighty CIO to bridge that widening gap. Triage for PPM in Peril - by Michael Wood (July 12, 2011) When something goes rotten in your PMO or project portfolio, all of your projects may be in jeopardy. The best way to handle crisis across multiple projects is to treat it like the train wreck it appears to be. Take a lesson from the medical community and triage the damage before you start trying to treat the wounded. Data Center Developments: Enter the Cloud via MDC - by Michael Wood (June 14, 2011) From data processing centers in the '60s to PC networks in the '80s to this century's Cloud, the systems for managing large amounts of data are coming full circle. Read up on the latest trend: Mobile Data Centers. The CIO's 2012 Prep: Coping with Uncertainty - by Michael Wood (May 17, 2011) Since the economic crash of 2008, IT leaders have been faced with an almost overwhelming uncertainty about where their organizations and departments are headed. As always, the key to successful IT Strategy is thinking ahead and preparing for any possible scenarios. Our annual guide to gearing up for next year will get you in the right frame of mind to face the uncertainty with confidence. Presentations Business Engagement: Fixing the Most Common Problem in IT Governance From Gartner PPM Summit The most common CIO complaint about the effectiveness of IT governance in their organization is that, in one way or another, "business management isn’t sufficiently engaged." This presentation will examine the various reasons why and offer pragmatic best practices for addressing root causes and proposing remedial actions appropriate for various styles of organization. Harnessing Change Complexity – The New PPM Direction? From Gartner PPM Summit Traditional PPM supports a militaristic business strategy mindset — “take the hill.” Today’s complex, fast-changing world is driven by constant adaptation between interdependent actors (e.g., customers, partners, competitors). The “take the hill” approach must be changed to support constant change and reduced control. We must move toward supporting a dance of exploration and exploitation. Sell or Hold? Reviewing Major IT Initiatives From Gartner PPM Summit This session will focus on executive reviews of major initiatives that assess what benefits and value are likely achievable at the time of delivery. These reviews are action-oriented, reviewing initiative evolution and how the results will fit future scenarios and how to make effective decisions to move forward with the initiative--or not. PPM State of the Art: What's Hot and What's Not From Gartner PPM Summit Join a panel of Gartner analysts as we test your views on both the future of PPM and today’s common wisdom. We will present research findings that may reinforce that your plans are right on target or surprise you by making you question your most fundamental assumptions. Either way, you should leave the session better prepared to handle both today and tomorrow. Adapt or Die - The PMO Emergent From Gartner PPM Summit Gartner's Matt Light and Donna Fitzgerald discuss important strategies for maintaining a PMO that will be able to withstand the business pressures that threaten its very existence. Application Portfolio Management: Inventory vs. Strategy From Gartner PPM Summit Application portfolio management can optimize an enterprise's future spending on its current business applications. Using APM techniques, business value and technology risk/effectiveness of applications can be assessed based on our "Tolerate, Invest, Migrate and Eliminate" approach. Presented by Jim Duggan, Gartner Research Vice President. Use Project & Portfolio Management to Control IT Costs, Barbara Gomolski, Gartner From Gartner PPM Summit Barbara Gomolski discusses the economic climate of 2009 and how PPM can be the key to overcoming spending challenges. Five Ways BPM Can Help PPM Boost Business Results From Gartner PPM Summit Research Vice President and Gartner Fellow Bill Rosser presents this session on how PPM can leverage its experience in the broad view of project selection, resource management and consistency of architecture, with added verification of delivered benefits. Connecting the Project Dots -- Can You See a Strategy Here? From Gartner PPM Summit For years CIOs have listed business-IT alignment as one of the top goals. The problem is that the PMO is often caught in the middle with a high level strategy on the one hand and dozens if not hundreds of detailed projects on the other. This workshop will offer some practical techniques and approaches to help bridge the gap. IT Modernization: Facing Inevitable Change From Gartner PPM Summit Gartner Research Vice President Jim Duggan discusses how IT organizations can move their portfolios into the future while dealing with elements that date back decades.