Decoding the IT Value Problem: An Executive Guide for Achieving Optimal ROI on Critical IT Investments(Wiley CIO)

Gain greater returns from your IT investments Revealing the secrets to proven, effective strategies that enable businesses to leverage the full value of highly expensive IT investments, Decoding the IT Value Problem is a no-nonsense guide for making smart IT investments and cutting through the noise of vendor marketing and media hype. Author Gregory Fell describes in rich detail the actual processes, frameworks, infrastructure and discipline required to develop and execute corporate IT strategies that are profitable and sustainable. * Provides a proven framework for developing and successfully executing profitable IT strategies * Plain English guidance for gaining the most return on investment from critical IT investments * Explores developing and executing IT strategy; forecasting, calculating and managing IT costs; leveraging IT investments to drive business growth; IT and the evolving global economy; IT value management; communicating IT value across the enterprise; and leading change, transformation and innovation If you're a senior level manager or executive responsible for managing IT value in your business, Decoding the IT Value Problem is the practical and clearly written guide you'll turn to, with tools and tips for smart investment and management of IT costs.

Table of Contents:
Foreword: Uncovering an Essential Skill of IT Management xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The Value of IT 3 The 80/20 Law of IT Spending 5 The User Interface Is Not the Project 6 Just Like Buying a Car 8 Don t Forget Maintenance Costs 8 The Math of Availability 9 My Favorite Analogy 11 The Hard Facts of Uptime 12 Chapter 2 Why IT Projects Fail 17 Technology Is Not the Problem 19 Communication Is Critical 20 IT Projects Are Really Business Process Change Projects 22 When You Change a Process, Don t Forget the People 24 Paradigm Shifts Are Real 24 Chapter 3 The Washington Principle 27 The Skills of a Leader 29 Why We Need IT Governance 31 A Process for Generating Commitment 32 They Cannot Read Your Mind 35 Multiple Levels of Governance 36 Delivering Expected Value 37 The Basics of Good Governance 38 Chapter 4 Balancing Risk and Exposure 41 The CIA Model of Risk Assessment 43 An Easy Method for Modeling Risk 44 The Risk Profile Matrix 44 Bring Options and Recommendations to the Table 49 Managing IT Security Risks 52 What about the Black Swan? 53 Note 54 Chapter 5 Time Is the Enemy 55 Riding to Nowhere? 57 It s All about Time 62 If Necessary, Rebaseline the Project 63 The 5 Whys 63 Chapter 6 Software Is Not Manufactured 67 The Art of Programming 69 Consider Agile or Lean Methodologies 73 Chapter 7 Technology Disruptors 77 Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon 79 Think Like a VC 81 When Technology Disruption Hits Close to Home 82 Specific Trends to Watch 84 Beyond the Keyboard and Screen 85 Encourage Exploration, Experimentation, and Fast Failure 86 Chapter 8 The Office of Know 89 Correcting a Classic Case of Misalignment 91 Are CIOs Wired Differently? 92 Sometimes There s a Good Reason for Being Risk Averse 94 Technology Is Not the Only Solution 95 The View from the Crow s Nest 97 Faster, Nimbler, and More Proactive 99 Walking the Assembly Line 100 Gone Hunting 102 Moving from No to Yes 103 Chapter 9 Enterprise Resource Planning: One Size Fits Most 105 ERP Basics 107 ERP versus Best of Breed 108 Single Instance versus Multiple Systems 109 Keeping ERP Systems Up to Date 110 Chapter 10 Outsourcing IT 113 Three Strategies 115 Your Vendor Is Not Your Partner 117 The Value of Being Selective 118 Outsourcing to the Cloud 120 Scale Counts 121 Offshoring 123 Outcome?]Based Outsourcing 123 Chapter 11 Rebaselining the IT Budget 127 Robbing Peter to Pay Paul Is Not a Good Business Strategy 129 The Annual Budget Trap 131 A Different Approach 133 Moore s Law and the Cost of IT 136 And the Moral of the Story Is ... 136 Some IT Projects Are Very Expensive 137 Chapter 12 The CFO s Perspective 141 Cash, Risk, and Benefits 144 Chapter 13 Optimizing the CEO CIO Relationship 153 Making a Strategic Contribution 155 The CIO Evolution 158 Chapter 14 Conclusions 161 Don t Burn Your Money 167 Note 170 Recommended Reading 171 About the Author 173 Index 175

About the Author :
GREGORY J. FELL is the Chief Strategy Officer at Crisply, an enterprise SaaS (software-as-a-service) big data company that pioneered the algorithmic quantification of work. Prior to joining Crisply in 2013, Mr. Fell served as vice president and chief information officer of Terex Corporation, where he led a strategic transformation of the IT organization. Before joining Terex, Mr. Fell spent nearly twenty years with Ford Motor Company. He started as a developer, and worked his way through a variety of management roles supporting the global engineering and manufacturing functions of the company. He has domain expertise on CAD/CAM/CAE systems, lean manufacturing, and control systems. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and spent several years on staff in the College of Engineering as a senior research programmer and instructor.