Goal Oriented

What is the DNA of the intelligent enterprise?

By Justin Kestelyn

In life, we are measured not only by results, but by our goals. In the current economic downturn, the first such period since the information-driven economy emerged in the 1990s, that adage is particularly relevant for IT executives and managers.

Until recently, the business-critical value of IT investments was all but assumed; the theory that "your business is only as good as its information technology" was nearly unquestioned. The thinking behind this theory was murky, however. The massive IT investments of U.S. companies in the '90s, largely triggered by Y2K remediation projects, were thought to underlie the historical productivity gains that characterize that decade. The objective evidence for such a claim is controversial at best, but nevertheless, IT has had a free ride for at least the last five years.

Ride over, folks. The Era of IT Accountability has begun, and your IT systems, if they aren't already now, will be judged on the basis of their ability to deliver quantifiable competitive advantage - to make your business smarter, faster, and more profitable.

The editorial mission of Intelligent Enterprise, of course, has always been to give you access to strategic information - about trends, techniques, and trade-offs - that serves such results, thereby justifying the theory that IT is a bona fide change agent, not just an operational arm. In these challenging times, we consider it even more important to clearly articulate the principles that can make this information not only provocative, but actionable: to help you formulate the "DNA" of your intelligent enterprise.

Thus, in consultation with the Intelligent Enterprise Reader Advisory Board - real-world practitioners like yourself - the editors have devised a list of "imperatives" (see sidebar) that would typify an IT department that intends to truly enable business strategy. Our hope is that this list, which is far from complete, will at the very least serve as the basis of further thought and discussion.

To make the influence of these imperatives on our editorial decision-making more tangible, in this issue (and all subsequent ones) the editors will classify columns and feature stories by the principal goals with which they are associated. (Look for the number icons on opening pages.) In other words, you will be able to view Intelligent Enterprise and IntelligentEnterprise.com content through the prism of the imperatives you see here.

We hope this effort is helpful to you.

What IT imperatives drive your intelligent enterprise? Send them to me at jkestelyn@cmp.com.

IMPERATIVES FOR THE INTELLIGENT ENTERPRISE

1. Enable decision makers across the organization to act with the highest level of confidence and knowledge.

2. Extend the power of your IT systems to all stakeholders, including external partners and customers, so they can make smarter decisions.

3. Align business and IT goals; maintain flexibility of IT systems to exploit new business opportunities.

4. Realize the value of operational IT investments through integration and analysis aimed at delivering business advantage.

5. Maximize value in the supply chain by collaborating with partners and suppliers.

6. Formalize and enforce best practices for IT; anticipate their evolution to achieve new business objectives.

7. Commit to continuous quality and process improvement. Learn from competitors and disciplines outside IT; enrich your processes with new ideas.

8. Facilitate stronger intraorganizational communication and collaboration through IT systems and services.

9. Improve the customer experience across all channels through constant analysis, evaluation, and personalization. Base performance metrics on customer satisfaction.

10. Respect the privacy of customers, partners, and employees; use this respect as a competitive advantage.