The Technology Garden

"e;The book contains a practical approach and real actions that can transform the credibility and alignment of IT to the business."e; --Myron Hrycyk, CIO, NYK Logistics UK & Eire "e;A significant addition to the Enterprise Architect's bookshelf."e; --Rupert Brown, Principal Architect, Merrill Lynch Global Business Technology EMEA Many IT deployments fall short of delivering value to the businesses that pay for them. On top of this, the combined forces of rapid business change and technology innovation frequently outpace the ability of IT organisations to make sense of their implications. With business activity and IT now so intimately intertwined, organizations urgently need a framework which allows them to align IT capabilities with business strategies and priorities in a way that is sustainable. A team of IT-expert authors with more than 80 years' combined experience have interviewed dozens of CIOs, IT directors and other senior technical and business decision makes to find out what works and what doesn't. The result is a handbook for organizations of all sizes that want to improve the value of their IT investments, thus enabling their IT capabilities to play a more pivotal business role. Written in plain English that does not descend into technical detail, The Technology Garden provides practical advice for organizations looking to achieve sustainable IT-business alignment. To do so, it defines: * Six key principles - a distillation of best practice that readers can apply directly to the domain of IT-business alignment * A framework for their application - a pragmatic roadmap for the application of the principles * Adoption guidelines - a set of self-assessment checklists that readers can use to understand where they are on the IT-business alignment roadmap and how to progress. With groundbreaking research and proven approaches, this blueprint enables readers to understand what is at the heart of IT-business alignment. Combining IT research, analysis and real-world insight, The Technology Garden is the ultimate no-nonsense guide.

"The book contains a practical approach and real actions that cantransform the credibility and alignment of IT to thebusiness."Myron Hrycyk, CIO, NYK Logistics UK & Eire"A significant addition to the Enterprise Architect'sbookshelf."Rupert Brown, Principal Architect, Merrill Lynch Global BusinessTechnology EMEAMany IT deployments fall short of delivering value to thebusinesses that pay for them. On top of this, the combined forcesof rapid business change and technology innovation frequentlyoutpace the ability of IT organisations to make sense of theirimplications. With business activity and IT now so intimatelyintertwined, organizations urgently need a framework which allowsthem to align IT capabilities with business strategies andpriorities in a way that is sustainable.A team of IT-expert authors with more than 80 years' combinedexperience have interviewed dozens of CIOs, IT directors and othersenior technical and business decision makes to find out what worksand what doesn't. The result is a handbook for organizations of allsizes that want to improve the value of their IT investments, thusenabling their IT capabilities to play a more pivotal businessrole. Written in plain English that does not descend into technicaldetail, The Technology Garden provides practical advice fororganizations looking to achieve sustainable IT-business alignment.To do so, it defines:* Six key principles - a distillation of best practice that readerscan apply directly to the domain of IT-business alignment* A framework for their application - a pragmatic roadmap for theapplication of the principles* Adoption guidelines - a set of self-assessment checklists thatreaders can use to understand where they are on the IT-businessalignment roadmap and how to progress.With groundbreaking research and proven approaches, this blueprintenables readers to understand what is at the heart of IT-businessalignment. Combining IT research, analysis and real-world insightThe Technology Garden is the ultimate no-nonsense guide.

Preface.1. Introduction.2. The current realities of business and IT.3. The IT organisation must get the basics right.4. Create a common language.5. Establish a peer relationship between business and IT.6. Work towards coordinated goals and objectives.7. Manage IT as a business-driven portfolio.8. Foster relationships with key IT suppliers.9. Applying the principles.Appendix IT-business alignment scorecard toolkit.Index.