In my last Advisor (see "Understand the Value Equation," 12 January 2011), I talked about the architecture value equation and the role of architectural views in creating value. To refresh your memory, the equation says that if you make it easier for someone to do their job using architecture, then they’ll use it. To achieve that requires the appropriate view.

"And therefore ... though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!" (Charles Dickens)

In my last Advisor (see "Understand the Value Equation," 12 January 2011), I talked about the architecture value equation and the role of architectural views in creating value.

If you're new to technology management, then much of what appears in this Advisor may strike you as opinionated, cynical, and arrogant. But if you've been at IT for a while now, you'll see the contents as accumulated wisdom.

"Backsourcing" is the general term used to describe the "repatriation" of IT or other outsourced services. The term first gained prominence about five years ago with two much-publicized failures. Frequently quoted is the decision by Sears to back out of its megadeal in 2005, a year after it had signed. There is also the JPMorgan Chase backsourcing case, also announced in 2005 [1].

One of the biggest concerns among organizations when it comes to adopting mobile BI is security [1]. This is hardly surprising, given that security has always been a major concern of any mobile corporate application, particularly the fear of unauthorized access to, or loss of, sensitive corporate data.

Here's a thought about the quality of work essential to innovation and any other kind of creative work. Readers of these Advisors know that I advocate collaboration as the path to making new, unique things.

A complex system is a system composed of interconnected parts that as a whole exhibit one or more properties (behaviors) not obvious from the properties of the individual parts.

Business process management (BPM) is a well-established industry practice encompassing process modeling, reengineering, and optimization of processes -- their measurements as well as their mergers and elimination.

Information technology systems tend to fall into two categories: a) back-office, a-few-people-care-and-most-endure systems or b) front-office, touches-the-customer, core-competency systems that get significant attention. For decades, IT was frequently perceived as the default owner of the back-office systems.

Happy New Year. The last decade was certainly an interesting one, but one that I wouldn't want to relive -- too much conflict, too much hype, too little real dialog, too little data .... You get my point. My holidays were unusually busy, including a lot of travel, a lot of family, and a lot of time to think and some time to read and collect my thoughts.

Knowledge provides the basis for strategies and policies in an organization. Examples of knowledge that affect business strategies include new competitors, regulatory changes, innovative processes to create products and services, new ways of putting together business portfolios, and upcoming technologies.

One of the hottest areas for applying data mining and predictive analytics is in assisting police with fighting crime. In fact, I've noticed that police departments around the world are increasingly turning to predictive analytics technology.

Staffing the project management office (PMO) hasn't really had much attention in the literature. Some PMOs do not have a project manager staff, while others have a permanent project manager staff. Between those two extremes, there are a few variations.

Mary Kellerman would have been 41 this year. In 1982, she died at the age of 12 from a cyanide-laced Tylenol capsule, as did six others in the area of west Chicago, Illinois, USA.

If there is, it isn’t exactly clear.

Architects face many challenges in their jobs. Among them are creating architecture and applying architecture. I've said many times that creating architecture alone does not create value. Rather, the value from architecture comes when it is applied. In other words, value is delivered when architecture is used to influence the outcome of decision making, analysis, design, or implementation. Yet another challenge is that architects are often not the people who are responsible for doing the applying.

"Collaboration" and "agility" are two keywords that describe what is required from a business in order for it to flourish in the emerging business environment as a result of the introduction of information and communications technologies (ICT).

Architects face many challenges in their jobs. Among them are creating architecture and applying architecture. I've said many times that creating architecture alone does not create value. Rather, the value from architecture comes when it is applied. In other words, value is delivered when architecture is used to influence the outcome of decision making, analysis, design, or implementation.

Among the many and varied conflicts that we experience in life, the toughest ones are value conflicts. Conflicts can be either external or internal in nature. External conflicts are those that can emerge due to decisions in everyday life that may not be appropriate to the context. Internal conflicts are those that are epic battles between the two forces that are inside us, the ego and the conscience.

While many of us thought that cloud computing would take longer to become established than it has, that virtualization would virtualize at its own pace, and that strategic sourcing would stay tactical before it became strategic (in a decade or so), we're finding now that IT is moving at an unprecedented pace.

In this day and age of WikiLeaks, can we really consider any data in electronic format truly safe? This biting question is raised again and again in government, military, and corporate offices the world over.

Innovation has never been more important to business survival. The ever-quickening pulse of business shortens the time in which a new product or process can be of value and increases the number of new ideas that must be in the pipeline. At the same time, continued focusing on core competency has reduced the diversity of internal resources, and limited funding has resulted in a need for greater efficiency.

Experienced coaches may have observed this effect: after one or two years of agile transition, the team is working really well.

Among my IT consultant associates, business is way up, with 2011 looking quite good. This is quite a turnaround from 2009, when all I heard was moaning, wailing, and grinding of teeth. But, as they say, consultants are the first to go and the first to come back.