From the Inside Flap
Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology is designed to be both easy to use and immediately useful. Filled with author K. Scott Proctor′s extensive experiences working across the field of IT in both small startup enterprises and large companies like General Electric, this accessible book has been created to help you focus on improving business project execution through effective IT optimization and assessment. While it skillfully outlines a framework for optimizing and assessing IT, it does not get into specific technologies per se, given the rapid and increasing pace of technical change across the world today. Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology involves a step–by–step process whereby various aspects of IT are evaluated. In addition to the book itself, a companion web site offers templates, checklists, and related materials for your reference and use. With this book as your guide, you′ll be able to generate an accurate and reliable assessment of a company′s IT operations and identify areas on which to focus to optimize IT. Topics such as “against what to assess operations” and “optimized as compared to what” will be addressed throughout the course of this reliable resource. Divided into four comprehensive sections, Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology : Introduces the concept of the IT Pillars Model (IPM) for optimizing and assessing IT and examines where and how the IPM fits into the overall operations of a business Offers the most detailed, hands–on user′s guide to the principles and practice of the IPM—in both mature and growing organizations—by examining each aspect of the IPM in the context of case studies Covers the topic of tools and reporting, including return on investment (ROI), benchmarking, and metrics And much more Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology provides valuable insights into this discipline, but the coverage of IT in this book extends far beyond technology itself. It also covers various aspects of the people, processes, and technology components associated with IT as a whole.
From the Back Cover
Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology “Information technology is a critical component of the business environment of today. Moreover, the success of business enterprises is increasingly dependent upon the effective use of information technology resources—a trend that is certain to continue for many years to come. K. Scott Proctor offers a powerful, useful, and logical guide to effectively using information technology. An important, easy–to–use guide, this is a must–read for all successful business professionals.” — Eugene V. Fife, former chairman, Goldman Sachs International Information technology (IT) represents a large global market. Yet despite its size, ample evidence indicates that few IT projects actually succeed or turn out well. Nobody knows this better than author K. Scott Proctor. With extensive experience working across the field of IT in both small startup enterprises and large companies like GE, he understands what it takes to excel at this endeavor, and with this new book, he shows how doing a better job of optimizing and assessing IT can lead to improvements in business project execution. Divided into four comprehensive parts, this reliable guide focuses on optimizing and assessing how various components of IT—including people, processes, and technology—support and work with broader business strategies and operations. To help you achieve this goal, Proctor introduces the concept of the IT Pillars Model (IPM) for optimizing and assessing IT and provides a solid foundation for where and how the IPM fits into the overall operations of a business. In order to put the IPM in perspective, Proctor takes the time to examine each aspect of this model in the context of case studies related to both mature and growing organizations. Along the way, he also introduces analytical tools you′ll need to be familiar with—such as return on investment (ROI), benchmarking, and metrics—and discusses a series of useful reports for IT optimization and assessment.
About the Author
K. SCOTT PROCTOR is the CTO and Head of Quality for the Global Marketing Services Division of GSI Commerce, now a part of eBay. His experience includes working as an executive director at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in the United States and as the CIO at GE Healthcare Life Sciences in Sweden. Proctor earned his BA, MBA, and MS from the University of Virginia and is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charterholder. He is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and has an ITIL (v3) Foundation Certificate in IT service management. Proctor is the author of two editions of a book on financial modeling published by Wiley, as well as a number of scientific publications in the field of ophthalmology.
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