• Login

Articles by James A Robertson and Associates

SNw 013 Critical I.T. Issues in 2007
Created by James on 6/13/2013 1:16:50 PM


I recently chaired a conference at which a Professor from a leading University declared that "I.T. is an industry in crisis".  How does one interpret such a statement? -- and what are the manifestations that you may be encountering? -- and how do you overcome these issues?

 

Introduction

There are many issues facing business with regard to information technology, those which seem to be critical at this time are summarized below together with brief notes on how to respond to these situations and achieve successful outcomes.

This article should be read in the context of my recent newsletter to the effect that "I.T. CAN Add Value" and also the newsletter on "To Succeed Engineer Against Failure" and the newsletter on "What IS Excellence".

Thus the discussion of Critical Issues in this article should be seen as creating a context for minimizing the risks associated with I.T. projects and investments and maximizing positive return on investment.

Not all these factors apply to all organizations but it is probable that at some level one or more of these issues apply in just about all organizations.

I hope that you will find this information useful.

 

1. Poor communication between the I.T. Department and the rest of the organization

In a significant number of organizations there is ineffective communication between those in the I.T. Department and the rest of the department.

Many times this gap in communication is not specifically recognized other than a widespread level of dissatisfaction amongst business executives and sometimes a corresponding level of frustration on the part of the head of I.T. and their staff.

Business asks for things and get deliverables that in their opinion completely miss the point of what was being requested.

The I.T. department does the best it knows how to deliver on requests from business and does not understand the levels of frustration and sometimes irritation.  Frequently the people in I.T. believe that they are giving the business exactly what it has specified and yet they find the business complaining about these self same things.

Vital aspects of responding to this situation involve taking measures to establish true executive custody -- business executives accept that I.T. is simply one more facet of the business and, while they do NOT have to have detailed technical knowledge, they DO need to communicate effectively with the head of I.T. and I.T. staff and accept final accountability for the I.T. function just as they do for every other business function.

On the other hand, the I.T. professionals need to engage with the business in business terms and language and understand requirements in a business context rather than technology.  This may require a significant change in thinking.

A significant step in improving such a situation may frequently involve redefining the I.T. function as a "Business Systems" function and appointing a Head of Business Systems who sits on the Executive Committee.  Sometimes this may involve an internal promotion and in other cases it may require an appointment from outside the organization.

 

2. I.T. Projects fail to meet business expectations

Frequently I.T. projects fail to meet business expectations, in some cases failed I.T. projects cause damage to the business and in extreme cases can put a business out of business.

There are a diversity of factors that give rise to this failure which are discussed in my book and on my courses, see the course notice at the end of this email for my upcoming course on "Essential Knowledge for I.T. Effectiveness".

Factors that cause failure include mythology -- the use of language and thinking that imputes human or super-human attributes to the computer technology and expects it to solve business problems, lack of executive custody is another factor that contributes to failure -- executive custody is a personal, custodial level of responsibility on the part of executives for the technology investment.

Lack of strategic alignment -- a clear definition of why the organization exists and how it thrives -- coupled with a clear specification of how the I.T. project will deliver value in line with this definition is another factor which, if not correctly handled, causes failure.

Other factors causing failure include the lack of a thorough, robust and systematic approach with full accountability (an engineering approach) as well as factors associated with the psychological response of people to change.

Preventing failure and achieving success requires all these factors to be recognized and managed effectively.

Doing this does NOT necessarily mean an increase in project costs, it does mean a shift in focus and a change in attitude on the part of both the business and the I.T. staff, consultants and contractors in order to engineer against failure, thereby achieving success.

 

3. Technology is moving so fast we cannot keep up with it

A widespread belief is that technology is moving so fast that it is not possible to keep up with it.

Associated with this belief comes an expectation that the business may need to change its core business systems (E.R.P.) as frequently as every five years, that business software that is more than ten years old must be scrapped and replaced, that integration of systems requires the replacement of existing systems with integrated suites, etc.

In some respects it is true that there is a continuous stream of new technology, however, in a practical business sense most organizations are NOT using the technology they already have to anything near its full potential.

In many cases staff are numb from the continuous changes and from having to scrap their knowledge and experience on one piece of technology in order to learn some piece of allegedly better technology.  It is not infrequent to find that end user efficiency has declined rather than improved.

In order to place technology advance in context, consider that the Boeing 747 aircraft is still economically flying after more than thirty years and that the Concorde, technologically far more advanced than the 747, and which flew 4 years before the 747, never "flew" economically -- the point? -- advanced technology is not necessary to create profitable business solutions.

Accordingly, it is advisable to apply a healthy dose of skepticism to any investment proposition that is directly or indirectly founded on "technology is moving so fast".

Yes, there may be instances where your organization can generate real value out of new technology but this is not guaranteed and more creative and effective use of existing technology may provide the answer you need.

Where "integration" is the driver, keep in mind that the primary factors inhibiting integration are corporate policy, data content and corporate politics.  The technology is available to integrate just about any business solution with any other business solution at a pragmatic data level that will get the job done, technology should therefore be considered as only one aspect in any integration recommendation.

Keep in mind that, as set out in the recent newsletter on Excellence, excellence is about people, not technology and, incidentally, successful I.T. is also about people NOT technology.

In considering these points, recognize that much of the I.T. industry is a fashion industry driven by marketing hype.  There are solid solutions out there but ultimately much of what is said today is hype, technology mythology and technology infatuation.  There is a widespread unstated belief that I.T. is the one area in life where a real "silver bullet" will one day be found.

Countering this trend there is a legal precedent that has not been tested in I.T. but which, in my opinion, would be found to be valid, called "the right to maintain and repair".  This right exists in most practical areas of life and we take it for granted with the exception of the way many look at I.T. where it seems acceptable to scrap huge investments in order to follow the latest trends.

In other words, have you ever thought of consulting an an attorney when a vendor tells you that you must replace your software because they are no longer going to support it?

 

4. Executives Cannot Get The Information They Need

Frequently executives complain that they know that the raw data is being processed and yet they cannot get the information they need.

This is then often seen as the basis on which to justify replacing a current E.R.P. system with a new system.

Some organizations in South Africa are on their third E.R.P. system in fifteen years in search of the holy grail of effective management information.

Yet effective information is a matter of content not technology.  "James Robertson" is exactly the same piece of data no matter which homegrown software or big brand E.R.P. your organization is using.

A badly designed chart of accounts will hinder or prevent effective information access for management and strategic reporting and yet, the chart of accounts is frequently carried from one E.R.P. to the next resulting in exactly the same problems manifesting in one system after another.

I offer a full day course on how to unlock corporate data coupled with some of my other courses, see the invitation at the end of this email.

 

5. Skills / insource / outsource / professional services

An issue that is very tangible for many organizations in South Africa is an apparent reduction in the number of skilled I.T. personnel available and organizations are struggling to find suitable staff, especially staff that comply with BEE requirements.

In terms of the numbers it appears that this is a real problem, at a recent conference a Professor from a leading South African University referred to I.T. as being "in crisis" and stated that registration at his University for I.T. courses was declining.  In recent interviews a number of I.T. managers and executives complained that they could not find well qualified personnel.

It seems that there are two phenomena a play here, one is that I.T. is no longer the glamour career that it was seen to be a few years ago, a lot of what I.T. people do is mundane and frustrating, added to which it is coupled with the issues listed above and therefore it can be a thankless task.

The second aspect, as I see it, is that the technology is so bloated with functionallity and features to the point where the mainstream operating system (Windows) becomes increasingly unstable with use and where a whole industry exists trying to solve obscure operating system problems, some of which are irritating but not critical and some of which result in the computer becoming increasingly sluggish.

A recent search on one obscure error message "The memory could not be "written"" turned up close to 40,000 pages on Google and it is not clear from my investigation whether anyone has a robust and reliable solution for this error message, other than that there are a number of writers on these sites who seem to indicate that the error message is not hardware related even though it would seem that it should be.

Resolving such problems can take hours or days and they may recur such that the technician responsible finds their competence being called into question and finds themselves faced with frustrating repeat calls which they do not necessarily always succeed in resolving the problem.

Part of this situation is that the technology has advanced rapidly, part of it is about accountability.  There are other operating systems that are far more stable and which are sold with much less hype and yet many business people feel compelled to go with the marketing flow.

As a general observation, human beings desire to obtain satisfaction from their work and if a career does not seem to offer such satisfaction it may well lose its attraction.

A more sober approach to the acquisition of new technology is called for together with the setting of sober standards and the consolidation of technology.  As a general principle, in many cases, a strong case can be made for only buying the latest version of any particular software just at the point when the next major release is becoming available.

In terms of future trends, I think that the day will come when large corporations confronted with software under performance or instability will resort to their legal advisors and court action and we will perhaps see a statutory response to this situation in time to come.

In the interim take whatever measures are practically necessary to retain staff and to create an environment where they obtain job satisfaction without constantly chasing new technology.

 

6. Hardware performance / bandwidth / bloatware 

An extension of the above point is the reality that organizations constantly find that their hardware is inadequate to run the latest software and that network bandwidth is constantly a challenge.

Close examination of the problem reveals that at least part of the problem is what is termed "bloatware", the constant addition of functionallity to software, most of which is seldom used by average users.

The containment of this problem is firstly about taking appropriate corporate policy decisions.  For example that desktop and notebook computers should have a lifespan of productive use of five to six years and that they should run the same operating system for this entire period.  This can be achieved by cascading computers down the organization, bring computers in at the level of power users and progressively pass them on to users with less demanding applications so that at the end of six years a computer has typically had three users.

Another response to this issue is to recognize the problem for what it is and to start applying pressure on manufacturers to contain the problem.  In considering how to respond to this phenomenon, consider what you would do if you had to demolish your garage and build a larger garage every time you purchased a new car because the new car would not fit in your garage or even get through your driveway gate.  It is likely that your car buying patterns would become a lot more conservative in such a case.

When it comes to bandwidth, a key issue is frequently the size of documents.  Making users aware of the problem and educating them as to how to limit themselves to smaller document sizes is an important step.  Frequently users add graphics to a document not realizing how much memory, disk space and bandwidth the graphic requires.  Often there are things that can be done to limit the size of graphics without impairing the value that the graphic provides.

 

7. Other 

Are there other issues that you consider critical at this time?

I would welcome your comments.

 

Conclusion -- Critical I.T. issues in 2007

A number of critical I.T. related issues have been discussed above.

They can all be dealt with by appropriate action to a greater or lesser agree.

print[MAKERATING] The comment feature is locked by administrator.
Sort by:
Return


Random Selection of Articles by Dr James Robertson

Cnf 084 ERP and IT in Strategic Management

The application of ERP and IT generally in strategic applications, how to configure systems from a strategic perspective and how to manage them from a strategic perspective
Std 010 Procurement: 02 Laboratory Approach to be Applied

The Business Simulation Laboratory is a fundamental component of a successful project.  This document specifies the manner in which the laboratory will be run
It is vital to test the software and the configuration thoroughly in the laboratory with the express purpose of breaking the software and the configuration by testing situations that cause the software either to fail or to fail to return the correct result
One the software and configuration have been adjusted to the point where it is NO longer possible to cause failure then the configuration can be used as a platform for configuring workflow, developing and testing reports and business intelligence models, developing policies and standards, developing training manuals and interactive training material and training staff
The project should ONLY go live once all the above had been successfully completed and ALL staff are trained up in the laboratory
At this stage the Certificate authorizing deployment should be signed by all parties.  As you will see further down the page this is a fairly onerous certificate and should ONLY be signed if ALL parties are FULLY satisfied the software and configuration is fully stable and all elements that are necessary for a successful deployment are in place

Cnf 018 Designing and Implementing an Integrated Risk Management System

A small, rapidly designed and built loss management software solution with accompanying Precision Configuration built and deployed in a matter of a month delivered very substantial strategic management information value together with unexpected dramatic efficiencies

Subscribe to our StratNews newsletter

Click here to send us an email subscribing to our free newsletter -- all articles posted by James Robertson will be emailed to you

Dr James A Robertson PrEng The ERP Doctor

Business Systems NOT delivering?

Call the Business Systems Specialist

Dr. James Robinson

Dr James A Robertson -- has been involved in the effective application of Business Information Systems, including but NOT limited to ERP, since 1987 and in the profitable and effective use of computers in Business since 1981.

Drawing on a diversity of experience, including formal military training in Quick Attack techniques at the Regimental Commander level, Dr Robertson has developed highly effective methods of investigating any sub-optimal Business Information Systems situation -- be it an established system or a stalled project or any other source of Executive frustration -- quickly and concisely diagnosing the root cause of the problem and prescribing concise practical actions that Business Executives can effectively act on see the Pulse Measurement page and also the Sample Reports page for redacted real reports.

He has also developed highly effective methods of strategically enriching systems to unlock the full potential of existing investments, see the Precision Configuration page and couples this to architecting small pieces of clever software that harness the full potential of your investment, see the Software page.

If you are having problems with your systems, your project or your IT Department, call The Business Systems Specialist
James@James-A-Robertson-and-Associates.com

Business System Failure is RIFE -- we offer insight into why this happens AND WHAT is required to prevent it.

Failure is at epidemic levels with massive damage done to client companies -- if you are NOT aware of the extent of the problem please visit the About Failure page for a catalog of major failures running to billions of Pounds and Dollars.

All evidence indicates that the established players do NOT know how to deliver stable, reliable high value solutions that WORK.

There HAS to be a better way!

This website provides information relating to that way with a large collection of white papers, presentations, standards documents, etc that you can use to start bringing the situation under control

We also offer high level advisory services with regard to the application of the principles advocated on this website

We offer an ENGINEERING APPROACH to addressing these issues

Click here to read more about the Engineering Approach

By Engineering I mean the formal, structured, highly disciplined, highly systematic, highly practical approach that consistently delivers results in ALL areas of human endeavor where formally trained and certified engineers are the ONLY practitioners permitted to operate -- think large buildings, factories, motor vehicles, aircraft -- highly complex systems that work at a level that we take it for granted that they WILL work and where failure is all but unthinkable and, when it happens, attracts immediate public attention and rigorous investigation directed at ensuring that such failures are prevented in the future -- in fact, everything that the management consulting industry that implements complex software systems is NOT

This approach is discussed further on the Engineering Approach page.

Book -- The Critical Factors for Information Technology Investment Success

In 2003 I undertook an in-depth analysis of all the information and experience that I had gathered with regard to the factors giving rise to Business Information System failure including ERP and general IT and classified this information into a number of categories including "The Factors Causing Failure" and "The Critical Factors for Success" based on this I developed a two day Course "The Critical Factors for Information Technology Investment Success" which is still offered today.

Based on this I wrote the book of the same name, which is available in electronic form here for download:

Connect with James Robertson on LinkedIn

James has a very detailed profile on LinkedIn should you require further information about him.

You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/DrJamesARobertsonERPDoctor

James has an open networking profile -- click on "Connect" and use email address James@LinkedIn-at-JARA.com.

Contact Us

You can contact us on

Email: James@James-A-Robertson-and-Associates.com

LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/drjamesarobertsonerpdoctor

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/james.a.robertson.393

Mobile: +44 (0) 776-862-2875

Landline: +44 (0) 207-059-0007

Fax: +44 (0) 844 774 4580

Articles by James A Robertson and Associates

There is a large body of white papers, articles and other content produced by Dr James Robertson available on this website

Please click here to visit the detailed listing of articles


Random Selection of Articles by Dr James Robertson

SNw 040 Strategic Essence: The Missing Link: Part 1 -- Strategy Defined

"Strategy" is a widely used, widely abused and little understood term.   This article offers a robust definition of strategy as the "essence of the organization and how it thrives"
Web 05 Organizing Microsoft Outlook

A comprehensive explanation of how to set-up Microsoft Outlook to organize your emails in a manner that makes it easy to handle the full diversity and complexity of emails that executives and managers typically receive
SNw 057 Business System Failure – HOW do you recognize it?

Many executives and managers do NOT know how to recognize business systems failure.  They have failed systems right at their finger tips, gauged by the standards advocated on this website, BUT they do NOT realize that they are at some level failures and, because they do NOT recognize failure they do NOT recognize either the need OR the opportunity to DO something about it
Std 009 Procurement: 01 Request for Proposal for Business Systems Solution

This is the heart of the tender and contains a large number of tough clauses that are directed at ensuring a realistic bid with a robust platform for realistic negotiation and a tough contract that is directed at ensuring performance

There is a more detailed version of this document at the end of this page for larger projects with a more detailed procurement process

Sem 01 Why your Business Information System is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it

A concise executive briefing directed at informing executives and senior managers with regard to the REAL issues in business information systems and the measures to take to obtain greater value from their existing investments
SNw 053 Strategic Essence: The Missing Link: Part 5 -- Discovering Strategic Essence

Overview of a simple and reliable process that you can apply to determine the strategic essence of your organization

ArticleTagCloud for Articles Published by James A Robertson and Associates

7 steps to FIX your ERP      80:20 regarding software replacement      aborted projects      abstract      abstractness      accounting      actionable      adjudication      Advantage Data Transformer      advisory      agreement      all possible classifications      all reports      all software elements required      all spreadsheets      all tasks required to execute the project      Alpha Omega      analysis of data      analytics      animation      answers to the questions we have NOT yet thought to ask      Armscor      arrogant ignorance      art of strategic business information system project leadership      ASCO      attendance register      attorney      audit      audit cost reduction      bankrupt organizations      basis for achieving alignment      basis of payment      basis of pricing      better way      bid adjudication      bid adjudication score sheet      bid compliance      bid compliance checklist      bill of materials      bill of services      BIS      BIS failure      BIS success      boots in the mud      BPM      BPM dangerous      BPM distracting      BPM ineffective      brainstorming      break it until it does NOT break anymore      break it until it will NOT break any more      budget      budgeting      business engagement      business executives      business improvement      business information system      business information system failure      business information system success      business information system taxonomies      business information systems      business information systems procurement      business information systems projects      business integration      business intelligence      business intelligence models      business knowledge and experience      business participation      business process      business process mapping      business requirements focused      business requirements specification      business simulation laboratory      business systems      business systems laboratory      business understanding      by the book      care      case studies      case study      CEO      CEO -- project leader communication      CEO as custodian      CEO definite views      certificates      challenges      challenging presentations      change facilitation      change for strategic reasons      chart of accounts      classification schemes      clever software      client changing scope      client compact      clinical codes      coaching      Cobol      COBOL CAN be retained      Cobol still viable      code schemes      coding conventions and standards      cognitive span      collapse      communication      competitive advantage      competitive advantage through precision configuration      competitiveness      compiler      complexity      compliance      compliance checklist      comprehensive testing      Compuware      conference speaking      conferences      confidentiality      configuration      consultant NOT delivering what required      contract      contract certificates      contract law      contracting      contractors      corporate planning      cost      cost-quality-time      CPT 4      CPT4      critical factors      critical factors for IT investment success      critical factors for success      critical factors for technology success      critical human foundation      critical issues      critical issues analysis      critical requirements      CRM Risk Control      cubic business model      custom development      custom software      customer focused      data      data content      data engineering      data entities      data warehouse      DB2      definitions      design against failure      design and development      design for success      determination of strategic essence      determining strategy      diagnostic code      diamonds in the dust      differentiated      differentiation      diffusion of innovations      discovery      dislike of failure      dispute resolution      do NOT change systems because of alleged software redundancy      do things competitors could NOT do      document pack      Dr James A Robertson      Dr James A Robertson PrEng      dramatic benefits      dramatically improved strategic management information      driver of success      Dunning-Kruger effect      ease of use      economic collapse      economics      effective communication      effectiveness      efficiencies      efficiency      efficient filing of emails      eliminate light bidders      email      engineer against failure      engineered data      engineering      engineering approach      engineering approach to strategy      engineering failure      engineering laboratory      engineering services      engineering solution design      engineering techniques      enhance differentiators      enhance the differentiators      enhancing the value of your present investment      ensuring project success      enterprise resource planning      ERP      ERP configuration      ERP failure      ERP procurement      ERP success      ERP taxonomies      ERP value      essence IS different      essence of business      essence of the business and how it thrives      ethics      examples      exceptionally bad code design      executive briefing      executive briefings      executive custody      executive decision support      executive engagement      executive forum      executive frustration      expose hidden agendas      facilitation      factors causing failure      factors causing IT investment failure      factors causing technology failure      factors to manage for success      failure      failure to address soft issues      fashion      file table of contents      Financial Information System      financial information systems      financial management      fixing your ERP      focus for projects      folder design      foundation for delivery      full training      functional entities      future      Gantt Chart      gap analysis      general ledger      George Paton      go-live      go-live certificate      governance      governance = care      governance failure      group consolidation      Group Consolidation Chart of Accounts      growth      gut feel factors      hand holding      harshest judge of governance      hate failure      head count reduction      health management software      hierarchies      high level requirements      high road      high value      high value implementations      high value solutions      high value systems implementation      highly effective chart of accounts      holistic view of solution      how do you achieve executive custody      how the organization differentiates itself      how to      how to do it      huge opportunity      human foundation      hype      Hyperion      IBIS      ICD 10      ICD10      importance of executive custody      improved management information      in-box rules      incremental enhancement of existing systems      ineffectiveness      inefficiency      information required from third party suppliers      information technology      information technology failure      Information Technology Strategy      information technology success      Informix      in-house courses      innovative software solutions      innovator      inside head of CEO      insightful      instructions      intangible      integrated business information system      integrated view of business      integrity      intelligent data      interactive training material      interview      invitation to bid      isolated CEO = explosion      IT      IT and strategy      IT Audit      IT failure      IT governance      IT lies      IT management      IT mythology      IT non-performance      IT people who lie      IT personnel socialization      IT procurement      IT projects that fail      IT strategy      IT systems      IT systems procurement      IT the harshest judge of governance      James Robertson      Jof Nelson      key performance indicators      Kirsten Speer      knowledge management      laboratory      lack of an engineering approach      lack of precision configuration      lack of strategic alignment      lawyer      leadership      legal agreement      legislation      lies      list of required software      listen carefully      litigation      logical entities      loss information      low road      loyalty      MacDonald      maintain code schemes      maintenance      maintenance management      Malcolm McDonald      management      management information      managing contractors      manual      marketing hype      master data      master data classifications      master test data      mature facilitation      mature facilitator      measurable      measures of alignment      mentoring      Microsoft Outlook      misrepresentation      missing link      mistique      morals      Munich      mystique      mythology      new future state      New South Africa      no drill down      non-disclosure      NOT classic project management      obsolete is a fashion statement      obsolete software      old software IS viable      once software works it always works      on-line seminars      opportunities      opportunity to turn the economy around      organizing Microsoft Outlook      orientation of IT staff      own business experience      passion to enable clients to thrive      people are part of the system      personality matrix      planning      platform for a tough contract      precisio      precision      precision configuration      precision configuration advisory      precision configuration leadership      precision data      precision taxonomies      Predictive Index      preparatory steps      prescribed table of contents      presentation technique      presentations      preventing failure      preventing falure      preventing project failure      pricing      principles      problem statement      procedure code      process      processor ignorant of language      procurement      procurement timeline      professional speaker      Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa      profitability      programming languages are for the programmer      project facilitation      project leader      project leader -- CEO communication      project leadership      project management      project management IT project management      projects      prove it works      PSASA      psychology      psychometrics      public conferences      public presentations      public speaking      Pulse Measurement      quality      REAL issues in Business Information Systems      REAL value      recognizing failure      redaction      reduced audit costs      reduced head count      reference documents      Reg Barry      regulatory body      relationship Almighty      relationship orientated      remediation of existing systems      Rennies Group      reports      reports not reliable      request for proposal      requirements specification      results orientated      RFP      right things      rigorous process      rigorous strategic planning      risk management      Robert Priebatsch      robust business information systems procurement      robust business systems procurement      robust contracts      robust procurement      robust solutions      SAICE      SAP ABAP is similar to COBOL      scheduling procurement      scientific professional      score sheet      screen design      seminars      SEPT      service orientated      Service Orientated Architecture      simple techniques to enhance business information systems value      simulation      sloppy configuration      SOA      socialization      software      software assets      software design      software does NOT wear out      software is instructions for the bricklayer      software schedule      software specification      software specification standards      solution experience      solution knowledge      South Africa      South African Institution of Civil Engineering      speaking      Spirit Led      standards      strategic      strategic advisory      strategic alignment      strategic analysis      strategic analysis and design      strategic business improvement      strategic custom development      strategic definition      strategic discovery      strategic driver      strategic driving force      strategic engineered precision configuration      strategic engineered precision taxonomies      strategic essence      strategic financial information      strategic gap analysis      strategic governance      strategic information      strategic management      strategic management information      strategic plan      strategic planning      strategic project leader      strategic snapshots      strategic software      strategic solution architect advisory      strategic solution architect leadership      strategic solution architecture      strategically designed chart of accounts      strategy      strategy defined      strategy focused planning      Strategy Snapshot Toolset      StratGap      StratSnap      strengthen differentiators      structured analysis      structured chart of accounts      substantial management information      succeed by engineering against failure      success      successful deployment      survive      system knowledge and experience      table of contents      tailored presentations      take notes      taxonomies      taxonomy      taxonomy software      technology      technology failure      technology issues      technology management      tender document pack      tender pack      tender pack table of contents      test data      testing      The Critical Factors for Information Technology Investment Success      the Critical Factors for Success      the essence of the business      the essence of the business and how it thrives      the essence of the organization and how it thrives      the factors causing failure      the first hour      The REAL Issues in Business Information System success      things right      third party suppliers      third world countries      thrive      time      tipping point      tough certificates      tough contract management      tough contracts      tough procurement      tough terms      training      training material      treatment code      understanding of data      understanding the engineering approach      Uniface      unlocking value      use different languages for new components      V3 Consulting Engineers      validation data      value      versus process      video      webinar      webinars      weighted factors      what is executive custody      what is strategy      what is the essence of this organization and how does it thrive      what to do      where is IT going      why executive custody is required      why the organization exists and how it thrives      why your business information system is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it      why your ERP is NOT delivering and how to fix it      workflow      writer     

Search Articles

Table of Contents

Home

About Dr James A Robertson PrEng -- The Business Systems Doctor -- and Other Topics

Catalogue of Major Business Information System Failures

About the Engineering Approach

James Robertson's Value Add

Attributes of a HIGH VALUE solution

Recognizing Business System Failure

The Critical Human Foundation

Old Software IS Viable

From South Africa

Competencies of Dr James A Robertson PrEng

About Professor Malcolm McDonald

Table of Contents

About my relationship with the Almighty Creator, Yah the Eternally Self-Existing

Comments relating to the Business Systems Industry and other topics

Testimonials and other positive material regarding James Robertson

Reference Articles

List of Articles

Article Catalogue

Achieving High Value Business Information System outcomes

Executive Custody -- What is it and HOW do you get it?

The REAL Issues in Integrated Business Information System Success

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2 -- Mythology and Lack of Executive Custody

Part 3 – Strategic Alignment and Precision Configuration

Why your ERP is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it

IT Project Management

Pulse Measurement

CEO Anthony Lee Comments on his experience of the Pulse Measurement

No Charge Guarantee on the Pulse Measurement Service

Examples of Pulse Measurement Outcomes

Critical questions regarding the Pulse Measurement™

The Pulse Measurement Workflow

The Critical Factors for Business System (ERP+) Investment Success in the Pulse Measurement

Indicative Pulse Measurement Durations

What is a JAR&A Pulse Measurement?

Survival of the fittest – why it makes sense to measure the pulse of your business

Examples of Pulse Measurement Outcomes over 24 years

Sample Pulse Measurement Reports

Strategy

Strategic Essence: The Missing Link in Business Information Systems

Strategic Essence: Overview

Strategic Essence: Part 1 -- Strategy Defined

Strategic Essence: Part 2 -- Differentiation

Strategic Essence: Part 3 -- The Essence IS Different

Strategic Essence: Part 4 -- The Essence should be the Point of Departure

Strategic Essence: Part 5 -- Discovering Strategic Essence

Strategy -- the Essence of the Business: What is it and how do you develop actionable strategic plans?

Simple Steps to Increase the Strategic Value of your ERP Investment

Free Strategic Snapshot Toolset and Manual

A strategy focused planning system beyond traditional budgeting

Tough IT and ERP Procurement and Contracting that Works

Robust Business Systems Procurement

Part 1 -- Introduction

Part 2 -- Bill of Services, Laboratory, Go-live Certificate, etc

Part 3 -- Executive Engagement, Bid Compliance, Adjudication and other matters

Procurement Documents

Guidance and Advisory Services

The Art of Project Leadership

Why Regular Communication with the CEO is Vital

The Business Simulation Laboratory

Precision Configuration and Strategic Business Information Architecture

Precision Configuration based on Strategic Engineered Precision Taxonomies

The JAR&A Cubic Business Model

Highly Structured Strategic Chart of Accounts -- a Vital Element of your Corporate Information Arsenal

The Product Catalogue -- an Essential Element of any Precision Configuration

Attributes -- answers to the questions you have NOT yet thought to ask

Case Studies of Notably Successful Projects with high value Precision Configuration

092 Doing things differently and better -- ASCO Case Study 2-- BPM Summit 2013

088 Strategic ERP Invesment -- ASCO Case Study -- Service Management Conference and Exhibition Africa

026 Information Architecture and Design of FIS for Rennies Group -- Financial Information Systems Conf

018 CRM Risk Control: Designing and Implementing an Integrated Risk Mgmt Sys -- Integrated Risk Mgmt Conf

011 V3 Consulting Eng: Benefits of MIS to Professional Practice -- SAICE 15th Ann Conf on Computers in Civil Eng

Strategically Enriching your Business Information Systems

Part 1 -- Introduction

Part 2 -- Principles of Data Engineering

Part 3 -- Steps in applying these recommendations

Simple Steps to increase the strategic information value yield from your Business Systems Investment

The Full JAR&A Taxonomy Manual

Part 1: Introduction, Problem Statement, Definitions and Examples

Part 2: Why Use JAR&A, Required Knowledge and Experience, Cubic Business Model and Chart of Accounts and Taxonomy Software

Part 3: How to do it, Case Studies and White Papers and other References

Example General Ledger Manual

Business Process -- Irrelevant, Distracting and Dangerous

The RIGHT Approach

Custom Strategic Software Design and Oversight of Construction

Standards for Custom Software Specification

What IS Software?

IT Effectiveness

Organizing Outlook

Critical Factors for I.T. Success

A Moral and Ethical Dilemma -- Systems that Fail

Case Studies examining Business Information System failures

The BBC Digital Media Initiative Debacle

The Bridgestone -- IBM Conflict

Speaking and Training

Showcase of Conference Presentations

Most Viewed Presentations

Briefings and Seminars

Why your ERP/BIS is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it

ERP and IT Procurement that Delivers Results

The Critical Factors for IT and ERP Investment Success

Other Seminars

Conferences and Public Presentations

Conferences 80 to 99 -- 2009 to Present

Conferences 60 to 79 -- 2005 to 2009

Conferences 40 to 59 -- 1996 to 2005

Conferences 20 to 39 -- 1994 to 1996

Conferences 01 to 19 -- 1989 to 1994

On-Line Seminars (Webinars)

Webinar on Preparing and Presenting Webinars

Contacting James A Robertson and Associates Limited