New Developments

Seminar: Harnessing the Next Generation Internet Visit: Internet-NG.com

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Web 2.0 Internet Seminar for Business People

Visit our new website Internet-NG.com devoted to development of the next generation intenet, often called Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0 and NextGen Web.

Our program introduces you to the high-impact trends, illustrates how the next-generation internet is being exploited by innovative organizations, and prepares you for your own smart exploitation of Internet-NG. Applying our Emerging Technology Portfolio discipline and executing successful pilot projects are key features of the core and workshop modules.

Relevant quotes from news articles

Harvard Business School - Working Knowledge

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The Future of IT Consulting

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To capture the value IT represented, organizations had to address change in structure, culture, people, process, and leadership. Many organizations turned to the consulting industry for help in understanding and managing these significant changes.

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Many functional and business leaders have become conversant about IT and many IT specialists have become knowledgeable about the strategic and business benefits of IT. Companies that encourage and incorporate this integrated and more sophisticated capability within their organizations will have an edge over those that have to rely on outsiders for the integrated view.

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Who Decides How Much to Spend On IT?

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Indeed, our research into IT management practices at hundreds of companies around the world has shown that most organizations are not generating the value from IT investments that they could be. The companies that manage their IT investments most successfully generate returns that are as much as 40% higher than those of their competitors.

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But in fact the problems generally occurred because senior executives failed to realize that adopting the systems posed a business—not just a technological—challenge. Consequently, they didn't take responsibility for the organizational and business process changes the systems required.

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Don't get us wrong. IT executives are the right people to make numerous decisions about IT management—the choice of technology standards, the design of the IT operations center, the technical expertise the organization will need, the standard methodology for implementing new systems. But an IT department should not be left to make, often by default, the choices that determine the impact of IT on a company's business strategy.

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IT spending can be designed to meet immediate needs and allow for an array of future benefits only if IT and business goals are clearly defined. Some management teams offer only a vague vision—for example, "providing information to anyone, anytime, anywhere." IT units respond to such ill-defined goals by trying to build platforms capable of responding to any business need. Not surprisingly, the typical outcome of such large, undirected projects is millions of dollars spent chasing elusive benefits.

 

Datamation

Cold Case File: Why Projects Fail

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The list of reasons for project failure is a long one, but after we've gathered all the evidence from the lab, we can conclude that the main causes in all three cases mentioned above stemmed from:

• Setting an overly ambitious project scope
• The lack of project methodology
• Poor user input and requirements gathering
• The lack of support from senior management
• Poor interpersonal skills

BusinessWeek Online

Think Big
Want to hook customers? Remember that good design isn't simply about the product -- it's about the entire business environment

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To meet the rising bar of customer experience, organizations must embrace this holistic approach to designing for business. It's when a company's products, services, brand, and supply chain work together -- think Apple or Target -- that the (customer) experience is more than the sum of its parts.