Fifteen years ago, information technology (IT) departments were viewed as "nice to have" but "not entirely necessary" departments for many businesses. Now, IT is a mission critical part of all business functions. From accounting to marketing, every aspect of any business depends on IT. It is for this very reason that achieving IT effectiveness has become such a crucial component within a constantly evolving industry. But what have the last 15 years accomplished in building ou

With a few certifications and some experience, virtually anyone can call themselves an "IT architect." For many managers and business owners, the role of IT architect sounds so nebulous and difficult to define that it becomes impossible to tell whether they truly have an IT architect or merely an IT administrator. Simply having a person in an architect role is not enough; being an effective IT leader requires you to have a true architect for the purposes of both development a

Project kick-offs are rarely seen as the key to a successful project. Usually, kick-offs are seen as “just another meeting.” But let’s compare project kick-offs to flying. When you get on a flight, there’s a rhythm, a cadence to the entire process. The reason? First, to make sure everything is in order, but also, to make sure everyone on board understands and is comfortable with the process. You can bring that same process to your IT project kick-off by focusing on a few cent

The rapid change in technology allows for great innovation, yet too many times IT leadership doesn’t end up following through on the good ideas being generated. We've got some thoughts on why this is, and how organizations can begin to create the type of innovation they say they want. Your ideas aren't getting implemented, but you can change that. In many IT environments, innovation is managed by task lists. While a task list is appropriate for getting through a backlog of wo