In IT, the bigger the hype, the greater the misconceptions, and data analytics is no exception. Analytics, one of the hottest facets of information technology today, can result in significant business gains, but misperceptions can get in the way of a smooth and timely delivery of analytical capabilities that might benefit business users and ultimately…
What is DataOps? DataOps (data operations) is an emerging discipline that brings together DevOps teams with data engineer and data scientist roles to provide the tools, processes and organizational structures to support the data-focused enterprise. “You’ve got the modern trend for development of DevOps, but more and more people are injecting some sort of data…
Executives know they need high quality data in order to make sound business decisions. But getting accurate data in a timely, user-friendly format remains a challenge. Sure, there is a vast industry of consultants and vendors with business intelligence (BI) expertise. How do you know if you are being “led down the garden path”? Is…
Finding a new job while you’re still employed is a tricky prospect. On one hand, you’re more attractive to potential employers if you already have a job. On the other, one false move and you could end up being fired or, at the very least, sully your reputation in the marketplace. Here’s how to best…
This article is a summary of a whitepaper by William Ulrich and Daniel Lambert with the same title. Standards, based on the collective experiences of communities of practice, form the basis for advancing the maturity of a given discipline. As that discipline matures and the community of practice grows, standards serve as a critical foundation…
“The sun always shines above the clouds,” optimists enjoy telling us. What they fail to mention is that beneath the clouds there’s often high winds, torrential downpours, lightning and the occasional golf-ball-size hail bombardment. The same is true with cloud computing. On the sunny side, the cloud offers a variety of benefits, including the promise…
Organizations are increasingly relying on project management professionals to implement strategic initiatives, drive change and deliver on innovation. And whole industries just now realizing the value of project management are expected to spur a boom in demand for project management skills in the coming decade, according to the a recent report from the Project Management…
Matson (formerly Matson Navigation) is an organization with global ambitions. The 135-year-old public shipping company has continued to transform itself from a Hawaiian regional institution to a multiregional player. Its Pacific expansion — from Alaska to Guam and from New Zealand to China — has been rigorous by any measure. Success hinged not only on…
More CIOs are turning to an emerging technology practice called robotic process automation (RPA) to streamline enterprise operations and reduce costs. With RPA, businesses can automate mundane rules-based business processes, enabling business users to devote more time to higher-value tasks. Others see RPA fitting into a larger context, as they take a more deliberate path…
Until the early 2000s, I observed dozens of IT projects simply substituting tech for physical or manual processes. I decided to bring process innovation skills into my group at my previous employer Cognizant. We found that process innovation opportunities abound, and we started exploiting the opportunities. That was then. What about now? As I showed…